Project Motherhood: Filia
by Gamer95
Summary: After accidentally transporting himself and his aunt to an unfamiliar land, little Harry Potter's suffering manages to get even worse. Beaten and abused, he has only one hope of happiness... Can his new friend save him from the nightmare his life has turned into? Co-Writer: SkorchNTorch
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter sat quietly in his aunt's car, timidly looking down at the floor. His aunt had actually taken him grocery shopping, and he had done everything in his power to be good. He stayed quiet, he didn't touch anything, he was seen and not heard.

However, two older boys had knocked down a stack of soup cans, and his aunt was convinced that it was his fault. And so he sat quietly in the backseat as his aunt ranted and raged about how he was a freak, how he was nothing but trouble, and even such hurtful words as how she'd wished he died with his parents. But then, she said the eight words that would result in a change in his life...

"Just wait until Vernon hears about this!" Harry went pale. He couldn't deal with another beating! Last night's beating had been just awful! Panicking, the boy began to rapidly exhale through his nose... Then, he felt the freaky stuff kicking in, which only increased his fear. Then, in a flash of light and a scream of shock from Petunia, the pair vanished from the car, leaving it driving forward aimlessly for a few moments...just as Vernon was rounding the corner in his own car.

The two vehicles impacted each other, killing Vernon instantly and doing the world at large a huge favour.

As for Harry, he found himself falling. The floor around him seemed to crack and crumble away until he began falling. He believed that this was it, he was beyond terrified, knowing that this was undoubtedly the aftermath of his 'freaky stuff'. After falling what felt like for hours, he landed on some grass and rolled to a stop. Groaning, he picked himself up and pushed his glasses back onto his face, looking around as his eyes widened at his surroundings.

He certainly wasn't home, or anywhere he recognized... everything saw and felt... off. It didn't feel dangerous or scary, but it certainly felt weird more than anything. He was in a city park. It was nighttime, and there weren't very many people around currently. He felt nervous about the situation... Where had they ended up?!

"YOU!" He flinched at the sound of his aunt's voice. He yelped as he felt himself get picked up roughly. "You little FREAK. You take us RIGHT. BACK." Petunia snarled through gritted teeth. Whimpering, Harry squeezed his eyes shut and focused, trying as hard as he could to get them home... But no matter what he did, nothing happened. "NOW!" Petunia continued to yell. "TAKE US BACK!" Harry whimpered, trying to summon whatever had brought them there, but no matter what he did, nothing worked. Petunia seemed to be growing both desperate and agitated with each passing moment she was, well, wherever they were.

"Hey, lady, ya wanna quit yellin' out here? Some of us are tryin' to sleep." An annoyed male voice sounded out. Petunia whirled around to retort with a biting comment...only to scream. Standing before her was a man that looked exactly like a pig. Snout, ears, face, all of it was completely piglike. The man was not amused. "Whatcha screaming at?! You a racist or somethin'?" He demanded, prompting Petunia to scream and run away from the man, who scowled after her. "You with 'er?" The pig-man asked, looking down at Harry. Harry, having been told all his life to remain out of sight, said nothing. After a few moments, the pig-man began to walk away. "Whatever..."

The little boy whimpered and quickly followed after his aunt. He was finding it hard to keep up, with his injuries, malnourished frame, and the fact that his aunt wouldn't stop running.

Petunia seemed to be making a point to scream at pretty much any person she came across. To her, they were all abnormal in some way, whether due to animal parts, unusually large size, or even something as minor as pointy ears.

They were freaks! She was trapped in a town full of freaks! And...And it was all HIS fault...

Neither were sure how long this continued, but eventually Petunia (thankfully) ran out of air and could not keep screaming, and was forced to stop for a minute, allowing Harry to scamper to close the distance the best he could. She panted heavily, shaking from head to toe. Then, she slowly turned to glare at her nephew, who cowered under her withering gaze. "This is YOUR fault...ALL YOUR FAULT." She snarled. She scanned the area to make sure they were alone...

"I'm...I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." Petunia didn't let him finish, slapping him as hard as she could and knocking him to the ground. Harry whimpered. His aunt was mean to him...but she had never hit him like his uncle before...

"Just shut up!" The woman snapped. "You can't get us home, you can't even tell me where we are... YOU'RE USELESS!"

Harry simply remained quiet where he was, looking away from his Aunt, who seemed to be moments away from either exploding in anger or breaking down into tears. The horse-faced woman somehow managed to collect herself, and now looked around for any indications as to where they were.

"...We're leaving." Petunia spat. " Get up and follow me. We're going to try to find a place to stay." She turned to the boy with a scowl. "And you'd better keep up, or I'll make Vernon's punishments look like love taps, is that clear?!"

"Y-Yes ma'am..." Harry nodded his head and scrambled the best he could to stay caught up with his aunt. The entire time they walked, he heard his aunt grumbling horrible things about him under her breath.

Harry wasn't sure how long he had been in this new place. He had seen the sun go up and down many times, but he was still too scared of his aunt and desperately trying to get them home to really take note of it.

Petunia hadn't fared much better. Over the course of roughly four months, she had gotten worse and worse, a Herculean feat if you were to ask almost anyone who had the displeasure of knowing her. The stress of being forcibly stripped away from everything she knew and loved had taken its toll on her, and it had caused her to behave very erratically.

She was slowly going insane. And there was only one clear target for her insanity... The one she deemed responsible for all her problems...

Harry was learning the hard way that his aunt could be just as violently abusive as his uncle.

"YOU KEPT ME UP ALL NIGHT WITH YOUR BLOODY WHINING!" Petunia shrieked, violently slamming the broom handle onto the boy. The broom had broken two months ago due to the consistent violent use against the little boy, so Petunia had settled for using the handle of the item, which was so much worse.

"I'm sorry... I was trying to be quiet..." Harry whimpered, covering his tiny eyes. Petunia hit him in the face, causing him to whimper in pain and clutch his injured nose.

"I'VE TOLD YOU NO NOISE AT ALL! DON'T EVER TALK BACK TO ME!" She shrieked before repeatedly kicking him in the stomach. "YOU USELESS WASTE OF AIR! I HOPE YOU DIE!"

Hearing those cruel words never got any easier... It always made Harry want to break down in tears...

"GET OUT! GO AWAY! I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU GO, JUST AS LONG AS YOU'RE NOT HERE! GO! GO NOW! GOOOOOOO!" Harry whimpered and ran out the front door, dodging a thrown chunk of wood on his way out.

After running outside, he turned to look at the house and shivered. In a way, they were lucky to find this old abandoned house. It gave them shelter, after all... But it was just so creepy... It was falling apart at the seams. The abandoned furniture was in awful shape. It made scary creaking noises. It was pitch black due to inability to afford lightbulbs, having barely enough money for food due to Petunia's self-employment that she did a horrible job advertising due to her paranoia. Really, they were just lucky to have a fireplace to cook with and phone reception, as eerie as that last part was...

This was not the first time his aunt had thrown him out, either... He was always getting thrown out of the house... He was scared. Privet Drive was boring, but it was safe. This place, however? Wherever he went, he felt like he was in danger... People in the neighbourhood would always yell at him... Threaten him... Say weird stuff that made him nervous and uncomfortable...

Generally, Harry tried to avoid people. He was scared of everyone... Everyone was out to hurt him... It was him against the world...

Currently, he was wandering the neighbourhood, looking around timidly for any signs of a threat. He found none, but still he remained on edge as he took a seat on a bench.

He was not in his neighbourhood... He hated his neighbourhood. His neighbourhood was full of weird and scary people that wanted to hurt him... Several of his injuries came from the inhabitants of his neighbourhood...

And then there was that man... The man in the trenchcoat that always seemed to be watching him... He was terrified of that man... Every time he saw that man, he ran as fast as his tiny legs would carry him.

Harry felt cold... It was an odd feeling, as it was early summer, and the snow was not due to fall for months... But the cold feeling just wouldn't go away...

He didn't know why he felt cold, but he didn't like it. He was about to curl up in a ball on the bench, when he noticed something... It was him! The scary man! He was following him again!

Scared, Harry hurriedly scurried off the bench and began to run, ignoring his pains as he tried to escape from his constant pursuer, who seemed uninterested in speeding up to catch him, continuing to walk at a brisk pace.

The man grinned deviously, his face hidden under a fedora as he stalked after his latest target. He never took them right away... He loved the thrill of the hunt. He lived to see their increasing fear and stress as he appeared at every turn, relished in seeing their attempts to flee... It gave him a rush of adrenaline, and made it all the more satisfying when he finally took them...

Satisfied with scaring the boy for now, the man faded into the crowd and watched him run off. "Your time's almost up, ya little biter."

Eventually, the chase led Harry to a college canvas. He had arrived just in time for classes to be over, and as a result, he found himself swarmed by the leaving students. Some of the girls gave 'aww's' when they saw the tiny boy, assuming he was a little brother of a student, waiting for his family to pick him up. Most of them just ignored him. Harry dashed away and hid under a bench.

The last student to exit the building was a young woman with raven black hair. She wore a white blouse, a black pleated miniskirt and thigh high stockings. Filia sighed as she left, thankful classes were finally done. They weren't too hard, they were just... dull. She exhaled and made her way over to the bench where she would stretch her legs out after class.

"Bout freaking time it ended! If I had to listen to that old windbag drone on for ten more minutes, I would have lost my goddamn mind!" The deep male voice sounded odd coming from the young woman... But it actually did not come from her, but rather the back of her head.

"Oh, be quiet, Samson, school's very important to me! Do you have any idea how hard it was to get into a decent college after being homeless for a year?"

"Yeah, you had to spend every waking minute studying your ass off. It was really freaking boring, and it still is to this day! If you ask me, we're too cool for school!"

Filia groaned as Samson rattled on. Most of the time, she didn't mind having Samson around, but then there were some days, which had become most days, where he kind of got on her nerves. She couldn't entirely blame him though, he wasn't bad... per say. There were just a number of things they didn't see eye-to-eye on.

She just had to make her he kept his voice down when they were in public... It always got awkward when people looked at her weirdly upon hearing the parasite's deep masculine voice coming from underneath the hat she always wore. Sometimes she wondered if it would be less awkward if she ignored the social stigma of having a parasite and kept Samson out.

"I do wish they would go over things I don't know alrea-" She blinked when she heard something. It sounded like...a whimper. She blinked. "Samson, was that you whimpering just now?"

"What, you think I'm some kinda wimp, Filia?" Asked the parasite, offended. "My voice could never even get that high pitched. Probably some lost kid or something." Filia frowned and looked around, not seeing anything, until she looked down. She gave an audible gasp at the tiny boy who was currently curled up underneath her feet.

"Sweetie?" She asked very timidly, only to not receive a response.

"What the..." She heard Samson mutter. Filia slowly bent down to try and put a hand on the tiny boy.

The boy let out a panicked yell and retreated further under the bench, curling up even tighter. Filia frowned softly. "No, no, no, it's okay, sweetie! I'm not gonna hurt you! Please just come out and let me get a look at you, okay?"

"Filia, what the hell's going on back there? Is there seriously a kid under that bench? What, he manage to get himself lost or something?"

"Shhh...Just let me handle this, okay, Samson?" Filia whispered softly. Samson grunted in response, but didn't say anything else. Harry didn't budge, still terrified of anyone seeing him. Filia notes his terror and slowly got down on her knees so she could look under the bench. "Aww, hi baby." She cooed, trying to seem like a friendly face. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you." Harry whimpered in response and tried to hide his face from her. "Aww... C'mon, sweetie...Come on out... I'm not gonna hurt you... I promise." Harry made no move to come out.

"Seriously, kid, get the hell out here already!" Samson groaned. Upon hearing the grumpy male voice, Harry curled up even tighter and whimpered again. Filia sighed and punched herself in the back of the head. "OW! What'd I do?"

"Shhh!" Filia hissed before focusing on Harry again. She knew he wasn't likely to come out on his own, and words were proving ineffective. Perhaps some physical affection would do the trick... She slowly reached out and rested her hand on the child's back, feeling him go rock-still upon contact, almost as if he was expecting something to happen. Filia slowly rubbed his back, trying to coax him to look at her.

Harry felt weird, this was the first time someone had done something like this. This touch... didn't hurt. He wasn't being hit? Wait... that wasn't right! He had to be hit! This was all his fault! He cautiously looked uo, trying not to seem visible, but Filia noticed it anyways.

"Aww... Look at that cute little face." Harry squeaked and hid his face again. Filia giggled softly. "You're just a shy little guy, aren't you?"

Harry hesitated for a few moments before slowly moving his head to look up at the young woman. She...She wasn't glaring or scowling...She was...smiling...? "There, see? I'm your friend. Nothing to be scared of... Please come out? I wanna hug you. You're such a little cutie pie." She cooed gently. Harry remained where he was, consciously believing that this was a trap. Why would anyone want to hug him? Let alone talk to him? On top of that, he wasn't supposed to be seen, so he had already made a HUGE mistake running here in the first place! However, Filia seemed to notice his apprehension and decided the only way he was coming out was if she pulled him out. She wasn't crazy about the idea, but knew it may be the only way, and he may be hurt too.

"Okay, sweetie... I know you're scared, but... I'm just gonna take you out of there, okay?" The boy whimpered in response, and when Filia grabbed him, he squirmed about in an attempt to escape, but to no avail.

"No...No...No, please no, don't, I don't wanna be hurt, please don't..." He fell silent as he felt himself being...held nice? Filia was holding him in her arms, rubbing his back, rocking him back and forth, holding his head up to her breast. Harry's eyes didn't portray it, as they were larger than a deer's in headlights, but his body did seem to calm somewhat. He unconsciously leaned into her, still staring off into the distance. Filia, now seeing his face, felt her heart melt into a gooey puddle.

"AWWW! You're so ADORABLEE!" She squealed.

"Yeesh... I think all dogs within a five mile radius just went deaf..." Samson grumbled. Filia ignored him and gave the boy a kiss on the head.

"Wh...Wh...Wh..." Harry stammered. Filia giggled softly and leaned down, giving him two more kisses on both of his cheeks. This caused the boy to slowly look up and stare at her as if she were an alien. "What was that?" He whimpered, and Filia pouted at that.

"Aww... you've never been kissed before?" She asked, then thinking 'Poor dear, might be an orphan'. Regardless, she gave him a few more kisses, trying to warm him up to her, but it only seemed to confuse him even more. Filia pouted slightly and huffed through her nose, looking him up and down. He was skinny...Way too skinny...and he was wearing rags... It was a sad sight... At least she always had her school uniform... She gently prodded his tiny ribcage to feel how skinny he was...and blinked when he let out a stifled giggle.

"Oh? A little bit ticklish, are we?" She asked with a mischievous smile. She then proceeded to gently run her fingers around the boy's ribs, getting him to giggle uncontrollably. "What a precious little laugh." Filia cooed. "Almost as precious as your widdle face."

Harry whimpered though his giggles and tried to look away. Filia sat herself on the bench and rested Harry on her lap, gently running her hand through his (admittedly grimy) hair. She gave a slight frown but didn't think much of it, as getting Harry to be comfortable with her was more important. Harry looked up at her, and she was relieved to see that all fear was gone from his features, instead replaced with confusion and curiousity.

"Um...Um...Miss...? Wh-Why are you holding me nice...? And... And why are you petting me, like...like I'm a kitty...?" He asked timidly.

"Daw! Your voice is so cute!" Filia couldn't help but coo with a closed-eyed smile before finally answering his question. "Well, you seem petrified, I wanted to see if you were okay."

"I...I'm fine... I'm used to this..." Harry mumbled in response, before trying to squirm away again. "I..I need to go."

"Go? Go where?" Filia asked. Harry opened his mouth to answer before realizing he had no answer. His aunt had made it clear he wasn't allowed home until evening...

"I...I...I don't know..." The boy finally admitted. Then he remembered what he had been running from and looked around wildly. "Wh-Where's the scary man?!" THAT got Filia's attention and she looked around at the students, trying to figure out if anyone had frightened him.

"Scary man?" She finally asked, trying to get an answer from the frightened boy. However, Harry didn't respond, as he simply tried to make himself seem smaller in Filia's arms. The young woman frowned and decided to not press.

"Sounds like some kinda creepy pedophile's stalking the kid." Samson chipped in. "Ya want me to eat him? I'd be doing the world a huge favour."

"Samson!" Filia scolded before looking down at the little boy, who was looking up at her in confusion. "Um...Heheh... That's just a...friend of mine..."

"Friend?" Harry asked, looking around in confusion. "But...I only see you, Miss...Um...Miss..." Filia realized they didn't know each other's names.

"Oh, silly me. My name is Filia. What's yours, cutie?" She asked with a smile. Harry didn't know how to respond, knowing that he wasn't supposed to talk to anyone, but eventually murmered out a tiny

"Freak."

The comment made Filia pause, taken aback. She heard the boy, but didn't believe he was being honest. She quickly gave the boy a quick look-over to try and see what he meant by that. He was tiny, sure, a bit too tiny to be honest, and he wore an extremly tattered shirt that was clearly too big for him, but he seemed absolutely normal. "Um...Sweetie, I don't think your name is really freak... Do you know what your name actually is?" She asked with a tilted head. Harry twiddled his thumbs.

"H-Harry, miss... My name is Harry..." He said softly, looking down. Filia hugged him again and rested her chin atop his tiny head, smiling softly.

"I think that's an adorable name." She cooed gently.

"Eh, pretty bland if you ask me." Not losing her smile, Filia punched herself in the back of the head again. "Ow! What'd I do?!" Harry now looked around again in confusion, before looking up to Filia. He had heard voices in his head before, but that was only with the occasional garden snake...

"Miss Filia? Who's that?" He asked timidly, and Filia's eyes darted back and forth.

"Oh, uh. Just a friend of mine." She replied honestly, deciding to change the subject. "Where's your parents, sweetie?" Harry looked down again, and the saddened expression on his face told Filia everything she needed to know about the situation. "Oh... I'm so sorry, honey..."

"Um...It's okay... It's not your fault... You didn't know..." He said softly. Filia frowned and tightened her hold on him, rubbing his back gently.

"Well, you must be staying with somebody...right?" She asked hopefully. "Who's your family and where are they right now?" Harry tensed up.

"M-My aunt...She's...sick a lot, so she can't go out very much...She wanted me to go outside and excercise, but I got lost..."

"Poor thing!" Filia cooed, rocking him in her arms. "How about I help you find your way home?" Harry bit his lip, knowing he wasn't supposed to come home until it was dark, and he'd probably get hurt if he showed up early. But how could he tell that to the pretty lady without raising suspicion? He didn't know how, but eventually he shook his head.

"I'm... I'm not supposed to...talk to people I...don't know too...well..." Harry mumbled timidly, trying to get out of it, feeling more and more anxious.

"Oh for crying out loud, kid!" Samson made himself known by lifting off Filia's hat and giving Harry an annoyed glance. "You know her name, what more do ya want?" Harry's eyes widened, now in terror, and he began violently thrashing in Filia's arms. The young woman wasn't prepared for the sudden reaction and Harry accidentally fell out of her arms, landing on the ground and trying his best to get away. Filia gasped audibly and tried to move forward to pick him up, but stopped when she heard the terrified whimpers.

"Don't hurt me...Don't hurt me..." He whimpered out. Filia bit her lip, then glared at her parasite the best she could, not an easy feat considering he was on the back of her head.

"Good going, Samson. I was just starting to get him to open up." Filia scolded before, for the third time that day, punching herself in the back of the head.

"Ow! What'd I do?!" Samson protested. "Kid's trying to shoot you down when you offer to help him? Pretty damn rude if you ask me!"

"Well you're hardly a paragon of politeness yourself, Samson!" Filia retorted. "And have you somehow not picked up on the fact that he's a child!?"

Samson was going to respond, but grumbled something inaudible, that somewhat sounded like "Yeah, you've got a point..." Filia clasped her hands together and gave a sad smile at the tiny boy.

"I'm sorry my sweet. That uh... that's my friend." She tried to explain, now knowing very clearly that Harry had never seen anything like Samson before.

"Y-Your friend is...your hair...?" The little boy asked timidly. Filia nodded her head, then carefully bent down and scooped him up again, holding his tiny head against her shoulder.

"He sure is, honey... Well, kinda... My real hair's sorta just... buried underneath him. See, Samson is a parasite." She whispered into Harry's ear.

"A...A what?" Harry replied, clearly confused.

"Don't worry about it, cutie. He's a friend of mine, and he's really nice." Filia said the last word with a undertone of menace, and Samson got the message loud and clear.

"Hey kid." Samson said, making his presence less intimidating.

"Um... Hi, Mr. Samson..." Harry said softly. "Your teeth all really sharp..." Samson let out a loud guffaw at the boy's words and grinned widely.

"All the better to take a bite outta some poor sap that pisses me off, kid!" Filia facepalmed when Harry whimpered and yanked on her hair. "Aw c'mon, gimme a break!"

"Again. Child." Filia hissed. Samson decided to remain quiet for now. Filia sighed and slowly reached a hand out to Harry. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help."

"But...But my aunt doesn't...want me to go home just yet...She wants me to...to be outside... She says it's not healthy to stay inside all day..."

"Well...Okay...How about I keep an eye on you until it's time for you to go home, and then I'll walk you back? Does that sound good?"

"N.." Harry seemed like he was going to say 'no' and Filia wanted to somewhat assert herself, but the last thing she wanted was to accidentally scare him away. Instead Harry remained silent, Filia sighed, set him down and took a step back.

"Whatever you want, I'll do." She said, internally she was shocked and somewhat saddened when Harry stood up, looked down ashamed, and left.

"We're not seriously letting this kid just wander off, right?" Samson asked. Before Filia responded, she saw Harry pause, look around, then walk back like a lost puppy. Harry knew he wasn't supposed to be seen, but this woman was at least pretending to be nice... He just wanted to feel some kindness...

Filia blinked, then smiled softly and bent over to scoop him up into her arms once again. "Aww, sweetie... You made the right choice!" She said with a wink. Now she wouldn't have to secretly follow him from a distance. She saw the boy hesitantly snuggle closer into her embrace and giggled, kissing his cheek lightly.

Harry seemed surprised by the kiss, Filia assumed he may not have gotten many in his life, and she grinned, giving him a few more, finding his surprised face adorable. "Nice and comfy?" She asked, with a slight tilt in her head. Harry looked up at her and nodded his head slowly. Filia nodded her head in satisfaction. "Good! Now, how about I show you around town a bit?" She offered.

"O-Okay, Miss Filia..." Harry agreed softly. Filia smiled warmly and rubbed the back of his head before walking off to give him the grand tour of all the places she knew. Harry gradually found himself becoming calmer and calmer in Miss Filia's arms. The woman had a very comforting presence to her, and Harry felt safe with her

Filia smiled down as she saw Harry gradually snuggling into her arms, and eventually he drifted off to sleep. She tried to shift him into a more uncomfortable position, but the action woke him up in a panic. "S-Sorry! Sorry..." He mumbled. Filia tilted her head, then smiled softly and patted his back, taking the opportunity to assure him there was no harm done.

"Sorry, sweetie, didn't mean to wake you up... I was just trying to make you more comfy... But, hey... I still have some things to show you, like..."

And then, both of their stomachs began to growl at the exact same time. "Like a place where we can grab some grub?" Samson asked hopefully.

"Yup!" Filia smiled, carrying the tiny boy into a small sandwhich shop. Harry whimpered and tried to squirm his way out of her arms, confusing Filia. "Um... you okay hon?" She asked. Harry flinched and nodded his head. Filia frowned and held him up to eye level. "Are you sure? You looked stressed out there." She replied. "I know you're hungry. Don't you want a sandwich?"

"Um...I...I don't...have any money to buy a sandwich, Miss Filia..." Harry said softly, twiddling his tiny thumbs together. Filia giggled and patted his head.

"Aww, I know, sweetie. I didn't expect you to. That's why I'm gonna buy your sandwich for you." Harry gasped and looked at her in shock.

"But...But you'd be wasting your money on me..." Filia frowned and gave him a quick kiss on the nose.

"Nonsense, sweetie." She said with a smile. "You're an adorable little thing, now c'mon. I know you're hungry." Harry wanted to protest but his stomach then spoke up. Filia smirked and playfully poked the little boy's tummy. "See? Even your stomach agrees with me. Now c'mon...Let's get your sandwich."

"Don't forget me!" Filia shushed Samson, then stepped up to the counter to decide what to get. She herself settled on ham and cheese. Harry took what she was having, and Samson? Well, he had pretty much everything on his sandwich.

Samson's appetite was a neverending source of embarrassment for Filia, as people always believed she was going to eat his share, which made her worry they were silently judging her. But he was very adamant about his orders.

Harry had tired to talk her out of it, but eventually he figured that Filia wouldn't change her mind about this, so he let her order a sandwhich. The duo/trio sat at a table off to the side, Harry seated on Filia's lap. The young girl handed him his sandwhich and he mumbled a tiny 'thanks'.

As Filia began eating her lunch, she noticed that Harry seemed to be looking at his food, but wasn't eating it. "Kid, the lady bought you a sandwich. Just eat it, would ya? It's pretty damn rude to let it go to waste like that." Samson said gruffly, much to Filia's disliking.

"Samson..." She groaned, facepalming. Samson snorted, took his own sandwich and put the whole thing in his mouth. Filia winced as she felt the crumbs running down her back.

"M'sorry...I didn't mean to be rude..." Harry said softly before picking up his sandwich and taking a bite. Then another. And another. He couldn't help himself. He was so hungry... Filia giggled at the sight and patted his head.

"See? I thought you'd like it." She said with a smile.

"It's so good..." Harry mumbled, still reeling in the taste. Even in this new place, his aunt still didn't properly feed him, taking pretty much every scrap of food they could afford for herself, so Harry was savouring every bit of real food that he could get.

He felt embarrassed over losing control of his appetite like that and looked down with a small blush. Smiling in amusement, Filia grabbed a napkin and wiped the crumbs off his face. "There..." She giggled. "You sure are a hungry little guy, aren't ya?" Harry hesitantly nodded his head, looking ashamed of himself. Filia tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

"Um...N-Nothing, Miss Filia... It's nothing... Really..." The little boy said softly. Filia frowned, but decided she wouldn't pry into the boy's business... She wrapped a hand around the tiny boy's head and pulled him close to her chest, cooing as he leaned into her embrace, letting out a content murmur. Filia rubbed his back and chuckled at how bewildered he still seemed by all this. He seemed...touch starved. As if he wanted attention like this for his entire life, but was denied it at every turn... Perhaps his aunt was too sick to give it to him...

She rose to her feet and kissed the top of his head gently. "Well, cutie, I hope you have room for dessert! I'll take you to my favourite place in the city!" Harry was nervous at the prospect of her spending more money on him, but he didn't want to be rude like Mr. Samson said, so he allowed himself to be carried to Filia's favourite cafe for milkshakes.

As they walked, Harry noticed more and more people that didn't seem like, well, people. He thought they looked cool, but knew his aunt thought they were 'freaks'. Suddenly, something occurred to him. "Um, Miss Filia?" He asked, looking up. "Where am I?"

Filia cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean, Harry?" She asked curiously. Harry looked down, feeling stupid.

"Wh-Where am I...? I don't think I'm in...England anymore, so can you please tell me where I am...?" Filia was rather confused as to how he didn't know.

"Well, you're in New Meridian." Filia replied. "I've never heard of any country called England before... I'll have to look that up when I get home..."

"Ok..." Harry mumbled, realizing his aunt would kill him if she ever found out about this. Best to keep quiet.

The pair/trio continued on their way, Filia occasionally cooing over how cute Harry seemed to her, and how the tiny boy was so precious. He honestly had no idea how to handle it, being so used to being treated with hatred and scorn. Miss Filia was so nice to him, and he felt undeserving of her kindness.

Samson, meanwhile, had to wonder about the kid. He was shy, that was certain, but he also seemed scared. Constantly. The hairy parasite wondered why that was...

"Ooh, here we are!" Filia said excitedly. "Have you ever had a milkshake before, Harry?" The boy shook his head. "Well you are gonna LOVE it!" Smiling as she walked into the small café, Filia sat down at a booth, with Harry seated next to her, and ordered their drinks. Harry timidly looked up at Filia, wanting to say something, but he was too shy. Filia looked down and smiled at him, before wrapping an arm around him and pulling him closer. Harry decided to take a gamble and leaned his head against her side. Filia let out a happy squeal and pulled him even closer. Harry, despite feeling he didn't deserve this, felt...safe. He felt safe, and warm, and even somewhat happy. He felt that Miss Filia was someone he could feel safe around...

Filia, for her part, just couldn't help the fact that her heart melted into a gooey puddle when the little boy was near. He was just too cute!

When their milkshakes arrived, Filia didn't bother releasing her hold on Harry. She simply handed him his small vanilla milkshake before leaning forward slightly to sip from her large chocolate one. "Mmm... This is good." Harry mumbled taking a few sips. Filia smiled and took another sip of her own.

"I KNEW you'd like it, sweetie!" Filia said sweetly. "Now go on, enjoy it!" Harry nodded timidly and then went back to his drink. Samson watched the kid drink, still trying to put the pieces together to why this kid seemed so... off. He said he had a home, so they were probably poor, anyone with half a brain knew not to trust strangers, but Filia couldn't hurt anyone even if she wanted to. So either this kid was just afraid of strangers or this was a fear of something else.

'What could a little kid have to be afraid of?' He mentally mused. 'Unless the kid's been hurt by his- huh... That would make sense...'

As much as Harry was feeling safe right now, he was still feeling the underlying dread of returning home... Aunt Petunia had started acting really weird and really scary after they had been transported here. Randomly yelling at people walking by, muttering furiously to herself, random fits of sobbing in the fetal position... And all of it was a clear sign that she was going to hurt him immediately afterwards. He shivered slightly, but Filia assumed it was just due to the milkshake.

Filia just patted his tiny head and went back to her drink, Samson decided he could at least TRY to be nice to the kid, after all, he was just a kid. Slowly, he made his way down so he was at eye level with Harry, and the fear was clear in the young boys eyes.

"Hey, it's okay kid. I ain't gonna hurt you." Samson said cooly. "Just uh, wanted to talk, y'know?"

"Oh...Um...Okay..." He said softly, looking the parasite in the eye. Samson noted just how scrawny the kid was. Definitely wasn't eating and Filia knew all too well how much it sucked to be poor, especially after a year living on the street with nothing but the clothes on her back.

"Damn, kid, looks like you're having one hell of a crappy lifestyle, huh?" Samson questioned, to which Harry looked down, basically affirming it. "Aye... that sucks." Samson muttered. "Hey, so if you need to talk or something, y'know Miss Filia is one of the kindest people out there. And if it's something you don't want anyone to know about it, don't worry, I've got your back."

Filia dared not interrupt their conversation, but smiled into her milkshake. Samson could be a little... abrasive at times, but deep down, he could be good.

Harry, for his part, allowed himself to smile ever so slightly. "...Okay, Mr. Samson, I will... Thank you." Samson nodded his head, then returned to his perch on Filia's head before someone saw him.

"Hey, Filia, how come I didn't get anything?" Filia sighed and held up her milkshake. "Awesome!" The parasite took a sip that drained half the glass.

"Okay, the rest is mine!" Filia said urgently as she took it away from her hair. Samson snickered in response and went back to silence. Harry remained silent as well, trying to enjoy the time he had with Miss Filia, but also knowing sooner or later, he'd have to go home. He really didn't want to though. Miss Filia was so kind... Why did she have to leave? No, she was just pretending to be nice, no-one could be kind to a freak. The harsh message Harry had drilled into his mind were now repeating themselves as he cast a somber glance downwards at the floor. Filia noticed this and turned to look at him with a tilted head and a frown. "Harry, what's wrong?" She asked, concerned. "Did you drink it too fast? Brain freeze is no joke."

"N-No, Miss Filia, I just..." He looked down. "You're so nice to me, and I like being around you, but I have to go home eventually, and I...I don't wanna say goodbye..." Filia took in what was said and frowned. Clearly something was wrong. Samson noticed it to and a scowl formed on his face.

"Okay so the chances of the kid's family hurting him just increased roughly... 92.9%." He mentally muttered, not liking what the implications here were. Filia, however, did not come to that conclusion. She just thought Harry had abandonment issues and didn't want to lose a new friend. She felt sympathetic and kissed his head.

"Then don't think of it as goodbye, Harry. Think of it as...see you next time." She said gently. "Don't think this is the only time we'll ever see each other. I'm sure we'll meet again." Harry smiled sadly and gave a quiet 'Mm.' As a response. Filia turned back to her shake, and Samson debated telling her what he thought, but decided to keep quiet till he had some solid proof.

When they were finished, Filia scooped up the tiny boy again and smiled down at him. "Alright cutie pie, where do you live?" She asked with a grin.

Harry looked outside. It seemed to be close to time for him to return home... Timidly, he told her his address. Samson frowned. "Damn, kid... You live in the ghetto?"

"Aww, poor thing... And your aunt tells you to go outside? It's way too dangerous for such a tiny thing to go out in a place like that." Filia cooed softly. Harry didn't say anything in response, not wanting to say anything about his aunt, as that wold probably lead to him getting hurt worse than normal. Filia took his silence as nothing more than embarrassment over where he lived, but she decided she couldn't keep him away from his family. "Well, I guess I'll have to take you back home anyway... But Harry... Do you really have to be out there alone? Don't you have anyone? A friend to look after you?"

"N-No... My aunt doesn't have any grown up friends... And neither do I..." Filia sighed and tightened her hug, gently rubbing the boy's back. Harry leaned into her touch contently. He had only known Miss Filia for a few hours... But he was going to miss this feeling of safety and comfort.

While Filia hadn't picked up on most of the previous signals, this did give her a little bit of hesitation. If Harry was living alone with his aunt in the ghettos, and she was forcing him to wander around on his own, with no-one looking after him... Filia sighed, then hugged Harry.

"Well, you have me as a friend." She said in a comforting tone.

"Really...? You...You wanna be my friend...?" Harry asked softly. Filia found the soft, earnest tone of his voice equal parts adorable and heartbreaking.

"Aww, of course I do, honey... And you can consider Samson your friend too!" A tendril slithered out from underneath her hat and gave what they assumed was a thumbs up. Harry gave a very timid but genuine smile.

"Thank you..." He mumbled, and Filia pulled him close once gain, rubbing his back and giving him a kiss on the top of his tiny head.

"No problem, sweetie!" She said with a smile, happy that she seemed to have made this little innocent boy's day.

Filia made her way down the street, heeding Harry's directions on how to reach his home. She shuddered at the shoddy, run down part of town Harry lived in. If she didn't have Samson with her...

Finally, they reached the old, run down house. Harry pointed at i. "It's...It's this one..." He said softly. Filia frowned. This place was a total dump... Gently, she set Harry down and took his hand, walking him to the door. She looked down at him and mentally giggled at the cute little way he walked. When they reached the doorstep, Harry turned to her. "Th-Thank you, Miss Filia... But... You should go now... Aunt Petunia really doesn't like strangers..." He said softly. He wrapped his arms around Filia's leg in a hug. "Thank you for helping me..."

Filia cooed and hugged Harry in response, giving him a long kiss on the forehead before finally letting him go.

"I'll see you again soon cutie." She whispered into his ear before walking back down the street. She paused and turned, seeing Harry looking back at her. She smiled and waited until she saw Harry's tiny form disappear into his apartment. She sighed and began the walk home. After a few moments, Samson spoke up.

"I don't like this."

Filia sighed and nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah... I can tell there's something a little off about this situation... I really don't like the idea of him being in this neighbourhood by himself..."

"If ya ask me, the kid's aunt is a useless, neglectful bitch. I'd say we should call CPS, but those idiots are run by the Medicis, so he'd probably end up getting dragged into being groomed to be one of their thugs." Filia scowled at the mention of the Medici family. She was completely and utterly ashamed to share a bloodline with those filthy dirtbags...

"Okay, I see what you're saying, but maybe... maybe he's just from a poor family. Maybe his aunt got hurt by the Medicis, and that's why she's so nervous of people she doesn't know."

"You really believe that?" The Symbiote asked skeptically, and got his answer when Filia sighed.

"I just... I don't want to push into something that'll drive him away is all."

Samson rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna tell ya what to do, kid, but I just get the feeling that ignoring that feeling in your gut's gonna do the kid more harm than good."

Filia sighed softly and looked down. "...Let's come back here tomorrow... Just to check up on him and make sure he's okay." Samson gave a 'Hm.' in response, and the pair remained silent for the rest of the way home.

Harry wasn't in a good place, as usual, his aunt screamed at him, hit him, everything he was used to being subjected to at this point. But tonight wasn't as bad, as through the pain and terror, he at least knew he had a friend. As he listened to his aunt yell, he tried his best to think of Filia, and how she had shown him the affection his own family had so long denied him.

Finally, Petunia had finished venting her grievances and pointed downstairs to Harry's 'room'. Harry nodded his head and walked down to the basement, where some old newspapers waited, serving as his bed. He curled up into a tiny ball, pulling his large shirt up over his head to act as both a blanket and a pillow. As he drifted off he expected his sleep to be plagued with terrifying nightmares as usual, but he was confused when all he found was himself surrounded by darkness. Suddenly, two eyes appeared in the darkness, Samson seemed to smile at him before the darkness turned to a pleasant day, Harry realized he had been picked up by Samson, and was now set in Filia's arms. He looked up at the woman with big, surprised eyes and she smiled back at him, saying nothing. But she didn't need to say anything... Her presence was all the comfort he needed.

He snuggled in closer to Filia's embrace and closed his eyes in content, feeling safe and happy in her embrace. Even in his sleep, the little boy smiled through his pain.

The next day, Filia left her classes and immediately began making her way to the neighbourhood she had returned Harry to yesterday. She just had to know if he was okay...

Meanwhile, Harry, who had been kicked out of his home by his aunt once more, was wandering fearfully. He couldn't see him, but he knew the scary man was watching him, just like always...

While he was right, there was also a different man prowling after him as well... He didn't know what he wanted, but he didn't like it. He had been trying to find Miss Filia again, but got lost (ironically) and now didn't know where he was. He had been through alleyways before, trying not to be seen, but he didn't know where he was now. He knew in his gut the scary man was somewhere nearby, and he had no clue where to go, He was scared... He wished he was back home. Even if he was terrified of his aunt, it was still preferable to being all alone and lost...

"Hey, kid!" Harry tensed up at the sound of a male voice. He turned to see a thin, scraggly man approaching him. "Don't suppose ya got any...pocket change?" Harry looked down and mumbled his response. The man raised a brow. "Huh? Didn't catch tha' ya gotta speak up."

"I don't..." Harry mumbled, trying his best not to show his fear.

"Uh huh. Yep, that's what they all say. But hey, y'know something?" The man began approaching and Harry began to back away, only to find himself cornered against the wall. The man hoisted him off the ground by his hair. "I think you got something...and every bit helps, get me?"

"P-Please, I really don't have any money!" Harry whimpered. The man sighed, then pulled out a pocket knife and held it to the boy's throat.

"Look, kid, I'm not gonna argue with ya here. Just cough up whatever ya got, and I'll let ya go."

"I don't have anything!" Harry squeaked.

"Oh. Well, that's too bad." The man said with a twisted grin, slowly pulling a knife out from his pocket. Suddenly, he grabbed Harry and lifted him into the air, holding him against the dirty alley wall. "CAUSE I DON'T LIKE BEIN' LIED TA!"

"I'm not!" Harry squeaked out, now even more terrified than before.

Filia, by this point, had arrived in Harry's neighbourhood. "Harry!" She called out. "Harry?! Are you out here?!" No answer. She sighed.

"Maybe the kid stayed inside today." Samson suggested. "His aunt probably doesn't force him out every day." Filia nodded her head, deciding that was reasonable.

"All right. Let me just go and check these allies real quick, and then we'll go and check his apartment." She entered the alleyways...and what she saw made her heart stop.

Harry, clearly in fear, being held against the wall with a knife to his throat by a lanky, scraggly man who seemed to be out of his mind. Filia's face drained of all colour, then fear was replace with anger. Pure, unadulterated, anger.

"Oh that guy is so dead." Samson muttered.

Filia ran forward as fast as her legs would carry her, and when she felt enough distance had been crossed, jumped into the air. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

The man let out a confused grunt before turning just in time to see Filia's foot smash into his face, causing him to drop his knife and smash into a wall.

Filia wasted no time, climbing atop the man and bringing her fists down on him violently and repeatedly, with full intent to at least knock a few teeth out.

The man managed to regain his bearings and tried to strike back...But a hairy tendril grabbed his wrist. "So ya think pulling a knife on a little kid makes you a big man, huh?"

The man was going to respond, but his voice left him as he saw what stood before him. He tried to scream, but only a few short breaths managed to escape. Finally, he whispered:

"What the hell are you anyways?"

Samson leered at the man with a huge, toothy grin that promised that this was going to hurt a LOT. "I'm a freaking parasite. And YOU are my lunch." The man went pale as the giant blob of hair pounced and began the violent attack. He screamed at the top of his lungs as Samson beat him black and blue.

Filia had quickly scooped up Harry and was holding him close to her chest, whispering soothing words to him to try and calm him down. He was stiff as a board and seemed completely unaware of anything that was happening around him.

"Harry...Harry, it's me. It's Miss Filia... I'm right here now, I've got you... You're safe, that awful man isn't going to hurt you anymore..."

Harry slowly looked up at the woman holding him, his eyes widening in recognition. "M-M-Miss...Filia...?" He said softly, clutching at her shirt with his tiny fists.

"Aww, there's that sweet widdle voice." Filia cooed, nuzzling the top of his head. She heard Samson 'dealing' with the attacker and turned Harry away the best she could.

"I..I..I'm sorry..." Harry stammered. "I..I..I couldn't... f..find... you..your..."

"Hey, hey it's okay." Filia cut him off, hugging him again. "I'm here now. You're safe." He snuggled in closer to her, burying his face into her chest, enjoying the soothing feeling on her gently running her hand against his tiny back.

Soon enough, Samson decided to stop viciously beating the would-be mugger, who was curled up in the fetal position, covered in scratches and bruises. Samson slowly retuned to Filia and winced when he saw just how broken Harry seemed. More than ever the symbiotic creature was sure that there was much more to this story, but he knew right now he should keep quiet and let Filia take care of the kid. He spat on the attacker one last time and shrunk back down to a smaller size.

Filia felt Samson slithering back under her hat and sighed softly, beginning to make her way out of the alleyway. The shaking little boy in her arms was breaking her heart with how scared he was... She gently pulled him away from her body and grabbed his chin, gently tilting it up so she could inspect Harry for any nicks on his tiny neck.

She frowned when she saw a tiny cut on his cheek. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be bleeding, but she knew he was very frightened, and was unsure of what else she could do. She figured the best thing to do would be to get out of the alleyway, maybe take him back to the café.

"C'mon, sweetie pie." She cooed gently. She pressed his tiny head against her chest once again and carried him to the nearest cafe, gently bouncing him in her arms. "I'll let you have whatever you want, does that sound good?"

"A-Anything...?" The little boy asked timidly. Filia nodded her head with a warm smile and kissed his cheek gently. He smiled softly and cuddled up closer. "Thank you..." Filia smiled sadly. He shouldn't be outside alone in such a bad neighbourhood... It was much too dangerous for such a tiny little boy...

Harry only wanted what he had yesterday, Filia smiled sadly and tried to get him to order something to eat, but he refused several times. Finally, she ordered another shake and some food for herself, that she entirely planned on feeding to Harry. The only thing Harry really wanted was to be held by Miss Filia. She was the only comforting presence he knew, and he craved it more than anything. Indeed, Filia had tried to set him down in the seat next to her, but he had tightened his hold on her and gave her a pleading expression.

"M-Miss Filia... Please...?" He said timidly, and Filia immediately understood that he wanted her to keep him held in her arms. Smiling sadly, she kissed his cheek.

"Okay, sweetheart, I won't let go."

"Thank you." Harry said quietly, trying his best to hug her back, Cerebella felt happy tears at the adorable gesture. After a few moments, Filia noticed the waitress was coming, and she adjusted Harry so he was seated on her lap. She placed their order, noting Harry seemed slightly more averse to being touched than he had the day prior, and as the waitress walked off, Filia focused on the boy in her arms.

Why was he so affection starved? Had no one ever offered him love before? If not, that was a heartbreaking idea to her. He was such a precious baby boy...

She remembered that Samson had commented on this as well, but she didn't like what he was implying... she couldn't imagine someone hurting or neglecting someone as harmless and sweet as Harry...

She watched him nuzzled up in her arms and cooed softly, gently rocking him back and forth. After what he had just been through, she wanted him to feel safe...

Harry, for his part, felt extremely comfortable. Miss Filia made him...happy? Yes... She made him happy. Because she treated him nicely...

Smiling, Filia gently hummed a tune to the boy. Harry very slowly let a tiny smile form on his face. Internally, Filia was cheering that she was able to get Harry to smile, even if it was the tiniest of smiles. It was still something. The tune she hummed was cheerful and peppy enough to make anyone smile, though, so it didn't surprise her. It was one of her favourite pop songs.

"Ugh... I can't get away from this stupid song! You play it every morning, you play it on breaks, you sing it in the shower... Don't you wanna find a song that isn't a total sappy gagfest?!"

Filia huffed at Samson's description of her tune. "It's not MY fault you don't appreciate love, Samson! And I do NOT sing in the shower... I don't..."

"Yeah, you do." Samson replied flatly.

"I'm trying to comfort Harry, so how about you just deal with it?" She muttered quietly so Harry wouldn't hear. Samson didn't reply, deciding to just bare it for now, as he knew the kid probably needed this. Harry snuggled closer to Filia timidly, still nervous about getting close to her, but Filia grinned and hugged him closer.

The two stayed like that, until eventually, the waitress arrived with their orders. Filia thanked her and held Harry's milkshake for him as he took a sip. She sat and watched with a smile, content to just watch the little one enjoy his treat. She noticed Samson reaching for her food and sighed.

"Don't eat it all, Samson. Other people need to eat that too." Samson grunted in response and took a fry. "Oh, and please don't get hair in the food."

"Yeah, yeah..." He muttered, taking a chunk of the food. Once Harry had finished part of his shake, Filia put some food on a fork and held it up to him.

"Open up sweetie!" She cooed, making Harry's eyes go wide in shock.

"I..Icant.." He mumbled.

Filia sighed softly and pressed her forehead against his. "Harry, please. I want you to eat something... You're such a skinny little guy... It isn't healthy..."

"But... But it's your food... I can't just take it... I..." He fumbled around for more excuses, but came up short. Filia hugged him closer and kissed his head.

"Please, Harry? Just eat a little bit? For me?" Harry seemed to hesitate, but eventually relented, opening his tiny mouth and letting Filia feed him. The young woman smiled as Harry seemed amazed by the food. After a few forkfuls, Harry shook his head.

"It's yours. I shouldn't take more."

Filia looked at the forkful of food, then smiled softly before taking an equal amount of forkfuls herself. "Okay... Now we're even. How abouf we take turns now?"

"Huh? Take turns?" Harry asked with a tilted head, confused. Filia giggled and nodded her head before grabbing another forkful of food and placing it in his mouth.

"That was your turn... And this is mine!" She took another forkful of food and put it in her own mouth. "Just like that! Would that be okay?"

"M...n...okay,.." Harry mumbled, Filia frowned at that picking up on the fact that he wanted to say 'no'. But he nodded nonetheless.

She sighed softly and grabbed his chin, making him look into her eyes. "Listen, Harry... I'm a healthy weight. I can afford to share my lunch with you. But you're too small. It worries me."

That had the desired effect. The last thing Harry wanted was for Miss Filia to be stressed out and worried because of him. Making his decision, he opened his mouth.

"Yaaay!" Filia cheered and put a forkful of food into the boy's mouth. "That's the spirit, Harry! Let's put some meat on your bones!

Filia playfully cooed as she fed Harry, giggling and talking to him like one would a baby. Harry was beyond thankful to have actual food for once. Ever since he arrived here, his aunt still made him cook, but they couldn't afford the same quality or quantity of food they used to. This just gave Petunia something else to blame Harry for, but that didn't matter right now. Right now, all that mattered to him was the feeling of warmth and security Miss Filia brought to him. She was acting almost like...like a mother figure to him.

Yes, that really was the only way to describe it. Miss Filia's interactions with him were very motherly... She treated him like Aunt Petunia once treated Dudley...

Why couldn't he be living with Miss Filia? Miss Filia would never hurt him like his aunt did... Well, the only thing he could do now was enjoy his time with her.

Filia cooed gently, running her fingers through his hair. Why couldn't she keep him?! Well, yes. He had an aunt... but she was beginning to believe that his aunt didn't care too much for him. Still, she couldn't just assume that and then take her nephew... oh well, she had him here now, best to enjoy it.

She fed him the rest of the meal. She didn't particularly need it herself, she had plenty of food back at her apartment. She just wanted to make sure Harry was fed.

Picking him up, she paid the cheque and carried the boy outside, wondering what to do with him next, before getting an idea when she saw the nearby playground. She smiled as she made her way over, Harry decided not to protest, as he got to spend more time with Miss Filia. Setting Harry gently on the swing, Filia have it a gentle push. He winced for a brief moment as the sudden movement gave him a weird feeling in his tummy, but as Filia pushed him higher, he found himself relaxing. The feeling of moving through the air, of feeling the breeze around him... It was nice. It felt like he was flying. He held onto the bars and smiled widely.

Filia made sure not to push him too high, but felt a sense of relief when he didn't begin freaking out, just the opposite in fact, he seemed to be greatly enjoying the swing. Filia giggled slightly and kept pushing him, catching glimpses of the now much happier little boy.

They continued this for a full hour, before Harry eventually decided he was ready to come down. Filia grabbed him, pulling him to a stop, then hugged him to her bosom."Aww, you like the swingset, cutie?" She asked with a tilted head, prompting Harry to nod his head eagerly.

"Uh-huh! It's almost like I was flying!" He said excitedly. Filia giggled and rocked him back and forth, making Harry coo contently. The young woman smiled at how while still timid, Harry at least seemed to be willing to open up to her, and that was something she was very happy about.

She sat on the park bench and took a seat down on it, holding the boy closer to her chest and gently bouncing him up and down, softly gushing over his cuteness. She was mainly doing this in an attempt to raise up his self confidence. It broke the girl's heart that the little boy had such a low opinion of himself...

Hearing the woman's constant words of reassurance was more than enough to give Harry a warm, tingling feeling in his little tummy.

Filia finished it off by kisssing Harry's forehead, making the little boy blush greatly. Filia pressed his head against her chest and cuddled him like a teddy bear. 'I just love him...' Filia mentally whined. 'I wanna keep him...'

The two stayed snuggled with one another for a few hours. Harry was...happy... Very happy. He felt...loved... Safe... Protected... He never wanted this to stop.

However, inevitably, it ultimately did. Harry noticed the sun beginning to set and bit his lip. He didn't wanna go back home, but he also didn't want his aunt to hurt him...

"Um... Miss Filia...?" The little boy said softly. "I... I think it's time for me to go back home now..." Filia sighed, knowing he was right... but she hated that. She wanted to keep hugging him, to take him out and keep feeding him until he had meat on his scrawny frame. But she knew she couldn't keep him, he had a family.

"Alright then." She said sadly, rising to her feet. "Let's get you home then."

As she began walking, she felt Samson moving about before she heard him whisper into her ear:

"I don't like this."

"I know, Samson, but there's not much we can do about it... Anything we try will probably get him pulled into the Medicis somehow." Filia reasoned.

"Still don't like it though! Why don't we just take the kid and run off? She'll never know we have him!"

"Samson, you know we can't do that. I can't handle being arrested at this point."

"Rrggnn... I know..." Samson growled. "It's just... c'mon Fi. Don't tell me you don't want to."

"I do." Filia whispered back, stunning Samson.

"Wait. Really?!"

"Yes!" Filia whispered a bit louder. Harry was snuggled in her arms and partially asleep, so he didn't overhear their conversation. "I want to keep him, to feed him, to raise him, to give him love and... I can't." Samson said nothing at the despondent tone in her voice. Loathe as he was to admit it, she was right. They could not deal with the cops at this point...

Filia looked down at Harry sadly and kissed the top of his head. "He's just the cutest little cuddle muffin... Isn't he, Samson?"

"I don't do cute and you know it." The parasite retorted.

"Yet you like him~" Filia cooed, patting Harry's cheek. Samson remained silent for a few moments then simply said.

"Yeah." Then after a few moments, added: "He's a good kid, I care because there's something wrong here. He's clearly been hurt. I don't like that." Filia bit her lip.

"Well... I dunno... If he was hurt... Wouldn't he have told us by now?" Filia asked. Samson sighed at her naivete.

"He's probably scared of what'll happen if he tells us."

"But his aunt can't be doing it... He said she was sick."

"Well, maybe it's that 'scary man' he was talking about yesterday at the school."

The two couldn't come to an agreement, and they didn't like it, so they simply remained silent as they kept walking back to Harry's apartment. When they arrived, Filia gently shook harry to wake him up.

"Wakey wakey, baby, you're home..." She whispered gently. Harry mumbled, squirming slightly as he stirred.

He looked up at her with a small frown, then hugged her tightly. "Bye, Miss Filia... Thank you for helping me again..." Filia kissed his temple.

"Any time, Harry... And don't worry. I know we'll see each other again soon." She set him down gently. "See you next time, okay, sweetie?" Harry sadly nodded and let Filia set him down. The woman clasped her hands and smiled down at Harry before remembering what Harry had said the other day and quietly made her leave, but waited until she saw Harry enter the house before fully leaving. She hoped he'd be okay, and she also hoped she'd get to see him again really soon.

Harry set foot into his house, trembling violently. Miss Filia wasn't here to protect him now... He was alone with Aunt Petunia... He heard the sound of her stomping coming down the stairs. He looked down at the floor, afraid to look at his aunt, and yelped in pain when he felt the palm of her hand collide with his cheek, flooring him.

The nightmare he thought he had escaped from when he arrived here had depressingly only gotten worse. Petunia was slowly losing what little amount of sanity she had left. She hurt him like his uncle did, sometimes worse, and Harry couldn't do anything but sit there and take it, terrified of what she would do if he spoke back.

"You're two minutes late, boy! What if someone were to see you?! Do you want to get me into trouble?!" Her logic genuinely made no sense to Harry anymore...

He whimpered when he saw Petunia pull out the frying pan. The frying pan was her favourite way of hurting him... He just hoped it wasn't in the burning fireplace beforehand this time...

This went on for sometime... By the the time Petunia was done ,Harry was bleeding once again. Unfortunately, he did end up getting burned by the fireplace, Harry silently cried, hating this, wishing Miss Filia would whisk him away and hold him close, speak comfortingly to him...

He was dragged downstairs and thrown into his corner in the basement roughly, whimpering on impact. "SHUT...UP." Petunia hissed. "YOU'RE TOO DAMNED NOISY." As she stormed away, Harry curled up in the fetal position and retreated into his happy place, where Miss Filia was there to protect him...

It was the tiniest bit of warmth he knew, but in this case, it was the best he could do. He certainly wasn't going to let it go, after all, any warmth is still warmth. Silent tears ran down his face, he hated it here, he was terrified of his aunt... but what could he do?

"M-Miss Filia...Help..." He whimpered softly before a fitful sleep overtook him...

He received a rude awakening the next day in the form of a swift kick to the stomach, causing him to cry out in pain. Petunia grabbed him by the hair, hoisted him up off the floor, and threw him roughly against a wall before shoving a large bag into his hands.

"People bought my work, go deliver it." She all but spat.

Harry was confused, before remembering the fliers Aunt Petunia had made him put up the week prior. She had put more effort into the fliers than the actual product...

Harry knew better than to argue, and nodded, pulling himself up and dragging the bag along. If he was honest, he was kind of happy, not just because he'd be away from his aunt, but maybe he'd see miss Filia again!

He stepped outside and looked up at the sky nervously. It was a very dark shade of grey, and he swore he could hear rumbling, and... His eyes widened.

Standing there, off in the distance, was the scary man he so desperately wanted to avoid. Whimpering, he dragged the bag of homemade decor as fast as he could, desperate to get away.

The man smirked in interest as he watched the boy move. He was a hard worker... Just what he needed... Unfortunately, he had other matters to attend to today, so this boy would have to wait until tomorrow.

Harry made his way around the city, delivering the... well, whatever they were, to those that ordered them. Some of the people seemed surprised that a child so little was delivering them their orders and some were surprised at the fact that their orders looked much worse in real life. But no one took it out on Harry, they sensed there was something... off about him, and left him be.

By the time he was done, it had begun raining. Harry whimpered and tried to cover himself with his bag. He had just delivered the last order, but the storm was picking up. Harry whimpered, not sure of where to go now. The storm started to get worse, and now Harry was panicking. He wanted to get back! He wanted to be indoors! He didn't want to be stuck outside in the big scary storm!

He ran. He ran as fast as his tiny legs would carry him. He didn't care where he was going anymore, he just wanted out of the rain! Eventually, he ran out of energy, and he had to stop running. He sat down underneath a building's awning and hugged his knees, whimpering and flinching at every clap of thunder that rumbled.

Filia looked outside the window, absentmindedly curling a piece of Samson around her finger as she looked extremely worried. "Samson...You don't think he's out there in the storm right now...do you?"

"I doubt it." Samson replied. "The kid's aunt wouldn't do that to him."

Filia looked down and gasped as she saw a tiny figure run under the awning. From his limp, she recognized him immediately.

"OHMYGOSHHARRY!" Filia practically screamed, running out the apartment and down the stairs.

"Holy crap, seriously?!" Samson exclaimed as he blew in the air. "He's all the way out-WHOOOOOOAAAA!" The parasite yelled as the wind blew him about violently the second Filia stepped outside.

Filia rushed towards the little boy as fast as her legs would carry her. "HARRY!" She called out, prompting him to look up from his fetal position with a hopeful expression.

"M-Miss Filia...?" He said softly. Filia knelt down and scopped him right up, holding him close.

"Oh, honey, what are you doing out here? It's way too dangerous for you to be out in the storm like this..."

"My...My aunt... She...She needed me to...deliver things for her... And I...I got stuck in the rain...after I was done..." A loud flash of lightning sounded out, and the boy let out a soft, pitiful whimper and covered his ears, trembling violently from the loud noise. Without a second thought, Filia rushed back inside. She immediately began cooing and trying her best to soothe the terrified child.

"It's okay... it's okay..." she whispered. "You're safe now, I'm here..." Harry simply whimpered and tried to make himself seem as small as possible. Filia carried the terrified and soaking boy back to her room. Harry clutched tightly to Filia's blouse, burying his face into her chest and trying not to cry. He could never cry... It would lead him into further abuse...

Filia herself certainly didn't want to see the boy cry, and so she quickly set to trying to remedy the situation. "Don't cry, honey, it's okay... Miss Filia's right here for you..." She whispered softly. Grabbing a towel, she carefully bundled him up to warm him up, leaving only his tiny face sticking out. "Aww... Just like a little caterpllar all snug in his coccoon... Now you really are a snuggle bug."

"Thank you..." Harry mumbled, snuggling closer to Miss Filia, trying to get warm. Filia sighed and grabbed another blanket off of her couch. She knew right know, what Harry needed most was warmth. She pulled the large blanket over herself and the bundled Harry. Giving him a gentle smile, she returned to humming a soothing tune. He nuzzled in as close to her as he could, relishing in the feelings of safety and security he felt when Miss Filia held him. She gently rubbed his back, making sure he felt loved.

The two sat in silence for a few moments. Filia grabbed the remote control for the television. "Okay, let me just check the weather real quick to see how long this is going to last, and then you can watch some cartoons while I make you something to eat, does that sound good?" Harry nodded, and Filia kissed his head before turning on the television.

"...storm is not likely to fade away until tomorrow afternoon. It is heavily advised you stay indoors at all times." Filia winced and found herself immensely grateful that Harry happened to be close by when the storm hit.

"Oooh... Harry, can you tell me your phone number? I'm going to have to call your aunt and let her know that you're gonna be spending the night here with me."

"S..s..she'll hur-" Harry stammered, but bit his lip, keeping him from finishing his sentence. Filia's eyes widened in surprise at that, and she held Harry closer, now understanding why he seemed so frightened when she first met. "She'll hurt herself..." Harry finished his 'original' sentence. "She'll... She'll get really worried about me, and she'll fall over and hurt herself..."

Filia felt relief flow through her. So THAT was what he was worried about... Smiling, she kissed his nose gently and pressed her forehead to his. "It'll be okay, Harry... I'll be careful to word it so she doesn't get worried... C'mon, honey, let's hear that phone number, okay?" After a moment's hesitation, Harry complied.

Setting the bundle down on the couch, Filia went to phone Harry's aunt, not noticing Samson was looking from Harry back to her, then back to Harry, his face practically screaming 'ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

"Filia." He began in a flat tone. "Please tell me you don't-"

"Samson! Shhh!" Filia hissed as the phone began to ring.

The parasite snorted in response and crossed his arms. "Fine, whatever, just pretend everything's hunkie dorie, right!" Filia sighed softly, and heard the phone pick up...

"FOR THE LAST BLOODY TIME, I'M NOT ORDERING YOUR BLOODY COOKIES! STOP BLOODY CALLING ME!"

And seconds later, received a ringing in her ear.

Filia frowned and then phoned the number again. She waited, then remembered something and held the phone a ways away. When the phone was answered, Filia was met with more screaming.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU!?"

"Ma'm! I'm not trying to sell you anything!" Filia replied quickly. "I found your nephew!"

There was a long silence. "YOU BRING THE BOY BACK HERE RIGHT NOW, DAMN YOU! WHY DO YOU EVEN HAVE HIM?! I DON'T HAVE MONEY TO PAY RANSOM!"

"Ma'am, I'm not holding him hostage or anything, just listen... This storm is really bad, okay? It's too dangerous to bring him home, and it's not gonna let up until tomorrow... He's gonna have to spend the night here."

There was a long silence, until the woman snapped "FINE." And slammed the phone down, leaving Filia to listen to the dial tone.

"Still think everything's okay?" Samson grumbled.

Filia said nothing, frowning softly at the phone. "She's...very aggressive, huh?" She conceded to Samson's point. "Well... Maybe she's just...overprotective?"

"My ass, Filia, there's something wrong with that bitch and you know it!" Filia winced at the parasite's words. She tapped her pointer fingers together shyly.

"Well... I really don't wanna jump to conclusions..." Her face then shifted to look more stern. "But I am gonna have a word with her when we bring Harry home tomorrow! She can't keep sending him out all by himself like that! Maybe she'll let me be his babysitter so he can get his excercise and still be safe."

Samson let out an agitated moan, having to keep a lid on his annoyance and disbelief for now, as they were back near Harry, and Samson would never say this, but he was scared of what Filia would do if he scared the kid. Filia seated herself on the couch and picked up the blankets again, covering herself and Harry once again. Harry looked up with a look of nervousness in his eyes, but Filia smiled nonetheless.

Then she remembered something and slapped her forehead. "Oh yeah, that's right, you need to eat something! Uh...here..." She grabbed the remote. With the press of a button, the news channel changed to a channel that played various cartoons. "There... You watch some cartoons and I'll get you something to fill up your little tummy."

"But-" Harry wanted to protest, but Filia kissed his head in response.

"No buts, love. You're FAR too skinny." She replied lovingly. Harry bit his lip and settled back into the sofa, just enjoying the warmth of the blankets. He turned his attention to the TV, and Filia stepped into the kitchen, searching through the cupboards for something to make for lunch.

"Samson, any ideas-HMMM!" The girl let out a squeak as her parasite grabbed both of her cheeks and pulled as hard as he could on them.

"Damn it, kid, you're too damn naive for your own damn good." The parasite hissed. "Do I have to freakin' spell it out for you?! That. Kid. Is. Being. ABUSED." He practically screamed in a as low a voice he could do without Harry hearing. Filia still didn't seem to believe him, and now Samson grew genuinely angry. "Okay, fine. Keep ignoring the truth, keep letting Harry be treated like he has been. And if we find him dead on the side walk, It. Was. Your. FAULT."

Filia flinched at that. "S-Samson, please don't say such awful things... That's not gonna happen..." She felt something within her twist uneasily.

"Tch... You weren't this naive before you lost your memories, I'll tell ya that. Maybe I ended up eating away some of your brain by mistake." Filia froze, nearly dropping the can she was holding, her face drained of all colour, then was replaced with anger.

"Samson... HOW COULD YOU?!" She scolded the parasite, but internally was surprised to see he wasn't backing down. If anything, this just strengthened his resolve.

"Okay, fine. F**k it!" Samson snapped. "You play mommy, I'll try and keep the kid from DYING." Samson returned to her head and remained silent.

"Samson? Samson!"

No response.

The woman growled and stomped her foot on the floor. "Samson, you answer me right this instant or I'll yank you right out of my head!"

"You're a dumbass." Filia growled and punched herself in the back of the head. "Ow! Stupid bitch." She did it again. "Damn it, Filia!" He roared.

"Fine, if you're gonna be a jerk, then I won't talk to you either! Now what am I gonna make for lunch...?" She mused to herself.

"Don't burn the apartment down. Or poison the kid." Samson snarked, but Filia ignored him now. Eventually, she decided on making some soup for Harry. She set to mixing the ingredients together, but also kept an eye on Harry, who seemed to have drifted off. She smiled softly and turned her attention back to the soup. She prepared the broth before adding various vegetables and some chicken.

"Tch... Don't burn the house down... You love my cooking and you know it, Samson." Filia said crossly, scowling and looking at the parasite atop her head the best she could. She hadn't seen Samson like this before. But she decided not to dwell on it. After a few minutes, the soup was ready and she carried two bowls back to the main room, where Harry had fallen asleep under all the blankets. "Awww..." Filia cooed. He really was precious. Setting the soup down on the table, she leaned down and shook him very gently to wake him up. "Harry... Lunch is ready now, honey, wake up..."

Harry stirred, and he let out a little groan of confusion, rubbing his eyes as he slowly gained his bearings. "Hmm...? Miss... Miss Filia...?"

"That's right, cutie... I'm finished cooking now. Here... Have some soup. I made it special." She said with a wink as she scooped up a spoonful of the warm meal. Harry yawned and tired to get up, but was too heavily wrapped to do so. He let out a cute squeak in surprise and confusion, and Filia giggled. "Aww... Is my widdle bundle of sweetness unable to move? don't worry I'll feed you." Harry felt both bashful and awkward about this, but those feelings changed to elation and happiness as Filia picked him up, setting him on her lap, and began spoon-feeding him. He sat in contentment and periodically opened his mouth to get the soup in. It was delicious, and he didn't want to waste even a single drop.

Eventually, the soup was finally finished, and Filia scooped him up and hugged him against her chest, gently patting his back. "Good boy, you ate it all!"

"Thank you..." Harry mumbled. "It was really good." filia grinned and nuzzled his head. Then sniffed his hair and stuck her tongue out.

"Blech! When's the last time you had a bath?" She asked, somewhat teasingly. "Smells like you haven't had one in a long time!"

"I... I don't think I've had one before..." Filia paused, then slapped her forehead.

"Agh, never mind... the water heaters busted..." Harry felt slightly disappointed at that. Filia made a mental note to double down on her request to be his babysitter when she encountered his aunt.

She sighed, then settled for cuddling the little boy close, rocking him gently and periodically kissing his cheeks and forehead, giggling softly at the small cooing noises he made.

Eventually, Harry's eyes drooped. He closed them and cuddled up closer to Filia, resting his head on her breasts like a pair of pillows and curling up the best he could so he felt as safe and comfy as possible. "Thank you...Miss...Filia..." He mumbled before drifting off to sleep, managing to free an arm from his coccoon so he could suck his thumb innocently.

Samson was confused when he heard soft sobbing coming from his host. "What the hell are you crying about?"

"He's just...so cute..."

"...And because of that you're crying. Ya damn sap..."

Thankfully, Filia had been busy wiping her tears and cooing over Harry's sleeping face, essentially using the bundle as a teddy bear. Samson felt a little guilty about how he yelled at Filia earlier, but the girl didn't want to see the truth. But again, she was naturally a very kind and caring person... it sucked that sooner or later she would probably learn the truth, and that would hurt. Filia just had to always look for the best in people... It had taken him over a year to convince her how evil the Medici mafia was. It wasn't until he revealed to her that they killed her entire family that she had relented.

And now the same thing was happening again... Well, the kid was lucky enough to come across them three times in three days... Maybe his luck would make his crazy-ass aunt have a heart attack and die. Or he'd get a chance to kill her... actually, scratch that last one. Samson figured that if he killed the kid's aunt, or even showed him his true form the kid would proabably run and never look back. It was a weird feeling, but Samson didn't want to hurt the kid, he wanted to help him. That and Filia would rip her hair out, one-by-one to try and make him suffer for doing that.

He thought long and hard about how to deal with the situation, before finally, an idea came to him. "Hey, why don't we try asking that hot redhead for help? You did pull her ass out of the fire when we fought the last Skullgirl, remember."

Filia frowned. "Princess Parasoul? I dunno, Samson... She's already helped us out so much... Everything we have right now, we owe to her."

"C'mon, Filia, let's be real here... She cares about people's safety, right? She wants to look out for the kingdom? Stop all the scum and lowlives? If she got wind of an abused kid, she'd start a full investigation. And I bet we can talk her into letting you keep the little guy for yourself."

Filia sighed softly. "Well... I guess... But she's really busy, Samson... It could take us months before we finally get to meet with her..." Samson rubbed his face. As much as he cared for Filia, her innocence could be... trying sometimes.

"Look, just... just keep it in mind, okay?" He sighed, before resting on her head again.

Filia sadly sighed, looking down at Harry. He seemed so fragile and adorable in her arms. She felt the urge to hold him close, tell him everything was going to be okay, that she'd always take care of him.

She looked at the clock. Around two PM... Plenty more time to spend with little Harry! Thinking, the woman figured she'd ask what he wanted to do when he woke.

After about two hours, she felt stirring, and gently cooed at the little to awaken. "Aww, come on, baby... Time to face the day..."

Harry yawned and squeaked when his glasses fell off his face. He looked around confused, still drowsy and unable to see.

"He...hello?!" He whimpered. "Wh...who's there?"

Filia quickly grabbed Harry's glasses and put them back on his face, and Harry blinked before relaxing. "Hi, Miss Filia..." He said softly, cuddling closer with a content smile, which prompted the blonde turned brunette to giggle and kiss his head.

"Hi, honey... You feel any better now that you've had a nice nap?" Harry nodded. He did feel significantly better... And thanks to Miss Filia holding him, no nightmares at all. "Daww, there's a precious little face." Filia cooed, kissing Harry's forehead. She stood up and readjusted the blankets so they were both covered by them now, but she was still able to have one arm out. She picked up a book she had been reading and smiled. It was an old collection of children's tales she had been given. She had a soft spot for these old stories, and wanted to share them with little Harry. "Hmm... Let's see... Wow, there's a lot of good ones here... Let's try it from the top!"

The first story was the story of Cinderella, about a girl who's family essentially used her as a slave. It hit a little close to home for Harry... He wondered if he could have a happy ending like Cinderella... In fact, the wicked stepmother reminded him a lot of his aunt... but he felt safe, like Miss Filia was his fairy godmother. He sighed slightly. He wished she was more than that...

Filia wrapped up the first story, then noticed Harry's saddened expression and grew concerned. "Harry? What's the matter?" She asked, concerned.

"M-Miss Filia...? I...I want to have a happy ending... Like Cinderella got..." Harry admitted softly. The sadness in the boy's tone broke Filia's heart.

"Aww, Harry... You will get a happy ending... I know you will." She said softly, giving him a light squeeze. "Just try to keep your chin up and tell yourself everything will be okay!" Harry smiled and let himself be held by Miss Filia. Everything she said made him feel better... She was so kind and caring... Filia walked over to a chair by the window and sat down again, watching the rain pour down on the city.

"To some, storms can be dreary, but I find them pretty." Filia smiled, adjusting Harry so he could watch the rainfall with her.

"I think you're pretty..." Harry whispered, but Filia heard him nonetheless.

She giggled softly and kissed his cheek. "Awww, thank you, sweetie, that means a lot." She said fondly, rubbing his tiny back. She'd received a fair amount of 'appreciation' from people around her own age and older, but Harry's innocent compliment was just too cute for words.

The two sat in silence, watching the storm. Filia noticed Harry flinch whenever the lightning struck, however, and found herself growing concerned. "Honey, are you scared of lightning?"

Harry hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to tell her. "Um...Well...I...I got lost once, and...and there was a really bad storm, and I...I had to stay outside in it...all night..." Filia's eyes widened at that, and she could feel Samson's eyes boring into her head practically screaming something. But he didn't say anything. Filia sighed and stood up again, rocking him in her arms as she carried him to her room. She lay on her bed, holding the bundle close and decided to try and cheer Harry up.

She felt little Harry squirm slightly in her arms and kissed his head to calm him down. "I'm so sorry, Harry... There's no reason you should always be out there alone..."

"M'sorry... My aunt-" Filia put a finger over his lips and pressed their foreheads together, looking him in the eyes seriously.

"NO reason." She said softly. "She can't be sending you out all alone with no one to watch you." Harry decided not to talk back and shrank into the blankets. Filia felt like she had been too harsh and leaned forward, kissing his forehead again to try and comfort him. "Sorry hon, I just... never mind." She sighed. "How about we talk about something else?"

"Um, okay..." Harry mumbled.

"All right...Um... What makes you feel happy?" The young woman asked with a tilted head. Harry perked up slightly at the question, a good sign.

"Um... I like kitties... And cooking... And making pretty flowers grow in the garden... And... And you." Harry admitted this last part with only some shyness.

"Daww! I like you a lot too!" Filia cooed. "As for me? Well, I enjoy reading and watching the sunset, oh, and painting. Ooh. Kitties and puppies too!"

"Puppies?" Harry asked.

"Baby dogs." Harry visibly flinched at the word 'dog' and Filia tilted her head in concern. "What's wrong? Scared of dogs?" She asked gently. Harry looked down.

"There... There was always this really big and mean doggie... He... He hated me... And... Every time he saw me, he'd get mad and bite me..."

"Aww... It's okay, Harry, I get it. I won't make you spend time around an animal you're scared of."

"M'kay..." Harry mumbled, feeling safe around Miss Filia. Filia was content to stay where she was for the next while, and Harry seemed to be as well. The pair remained on the bed, Harry snuggling into the first sense of comfort he knew.

They couln't stay like that forever, though, as Filia heard Harry's stomach growl and giggled. "It's nowhere near time for supper, but why don't we go get you a little snack?"

"A...A snack...? For me?" Harry asked innocently. Filia rose to her feet with a smile and gave him a peck on the nose before patting his back.

"Yep! C'mon, I have plenty of food, let's get you fed now, okay?" Harry smiled into Filia's shoulder as she carried him back to the kitchen. She sat him on the counter and looked around, finally finding some ice cream in the freezer. She figured Harry would enjoy it. "Perfect!" She chirped, taking the creamy vanilla desert out of the freezer. Setting it on the counter, she took another look to find some fudge sauce that she poured on.

After preparing a large bowl for the little boy, she sat down across from him and scooped up a spoonful with a spoon. "Heeere comes the yum yum train!" She moved the spoon to his mouth. Harry timidly opened it and let Filia feed him. At first he didn't like it. It was too cold... but then it started to taste good! Like, really good! His eyes lit up as he finished the first mouthful, hopefully looking up at Filia again. Giggling, she popped another spoonful into the boy's mouth, internally squeeing over how cute his reactions were. They continued the process until it was gone.

"Was it good?" Filia asked, to which Harry nodded with a content hum. "Good." She took the bowl to the sink and washed it. "Okay... How about...a movie next?" She wanted to give the boy a nice, cozy day indoors.

"Okay." Harry replied, a little less timid, he just liked spending time with Miss Filia. Holding the boy to her side, Filia looked over the movies she had, finally settling on a carton about sloths. She rolled her eyes as Samson immediately groaned about her putting on such a boring cartoon, then looked down at Harry, who seemed adorably invested.

She remained silent throughout the film, holding Harry close and resting her chin on his head as they watched the movie. He even smiled a fair number of times as things went on.

When the movie finished, Filia grinned when she saw Harry not only content in her arms, but seemingly happy now as well. His tiny smile was one of the most precious things Filia had ever seen, and she felt a burning desire to protect it.

She kissed his head for what felt like the hundredth time that day. He ate it up the same way he would every other gesture of affection she'd shown him.

"Aww, I'm glad you liked the movie, sweetheart... I'll make sure we watch another one before you go back home tomorrow." She promised.

Harry's smile faded at that, much to her displeasure. She kicked herself as he looked at her sadly. "I...I like being with you better, Miss Filia..."

"I like being with you too baby, but I can't keep you." She said sadly.

"I wish you could..." Harry mumbled, not wanting to be trapped with his aunt. He loved Miss Filia, she was like a... Harry didn't complete that thought, he just leaned into her embrace.

The way he saw it, this was essentially confirmation... He was doomed to be trapped living with his aunt for the rest of his life... He'd never be free...

Filia heard him whimper and tightened her hold on him. "Aww, honey... Don't worry, okay...? I'm gonna talk to your aunt and see if she'll let me be your babysitter..." Harry looked up with a tiny hint of hopefulness in his eyes. Even if he had to live with his aunt, getting to see Miss Filia would at least give him a little bit of hope to cling to. He rested his head against her chest and mumbled:

"Yes please..."

'Why is he so adorable!?' Filia mentally squealed. 'He's just so tiny and precious! I love him so much!'

She rocked him back and forth gently. Then she thought about what else she could do with him that day... Perhaps they could cook some brownies!

"Hey, Harry... Wanna help Miss Filia make a yummy desert for after supper?"

"Okay!" Harry said. He seemed to perk up at the prospect of being able to cook, and cook with Miss Filia! Filia couldn't surpress the giggle that came out when she saw his tiny face light up.

"Okay then!" Carefully, she unbundled him from his little coccoon and set him down on the floor. "Let's go and make some brownies... I should have the ingredients somewhere..."

And soon enough, the ingredients needed for brownies were set on the counter. Flour, butter, chocolate chips, the works.

"Eww, Samson, stop drooling! It's running down my back!" Filia complained.

"Sorry. I'm excited." Harry also seemed rather excited, Filia smiled as she held him up to the counter and watched as he began mixing the ingredients in a bowl. Filia made sure to keep him away from the oven, but was more than happy to let him help. Harry seemed to be very deeply focused as he mixed the ingredients, as if this was a professional kitchen. Filia let out a soft giggle at how seriously he was taking it, then focused her attention on her own portion of the work. The duo worked together for approximately thirty minutes before putting the mixtures into the sheets.

After setting the brownies in the oven, Harry and Filia decided to sit at the table and wait for them to finish cooking. Filia made Harry a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She just...really wanted him to have a little meat on his bones.

Harry ate his sandwich happily while giving Filia a look of wide-eyed adoration. He just loved being with her so much... She tried so hard to make sure he was happy... He wished she was his mommy...

Filia kept her arms wrapped around him, cooing and nuzzling the top of his tiny head. She loved him so much, she never had considered being a parent, but if she had the chance, she'd keep Harry and raise him with all the love and adoration in the world! And to be fair, how could anyone NOT love such a sweet, innocent baby? She contently hummed a gentle tune as she rubbed Harry's back, soothing him as much as she could.

She did, however, notice Harry flinch slightly as she touched his back. She wondered why that was, but she really didn't want to pry... So she stayed silent.

Harry felt a little bit of pain flow through some of his old injuries when Miss Filia touched them... But he didn't care. He just wanted her love...

After some time, the oven dinged, signalling the brownies were finished. Filia set Harry on the chair, earning a cute whine from him, clearly not wanting to be separated, and pulled the pan out. Setting it to cool on the stove, she returned to her snuggle session with the baby boy she found herself falling more and more in love with with each passing moment.

She noticed Samson trying to sneak one of the brownies and slapped his tendril away. "No, Samson, those are for later." She said sternly.

"Aw come on, just one?" The parasite pleaded. Filia remained adamant, and Samson grumbled as he returned to his post, crossing his little arms. "Why'd you have to grow a backbone?"

"Because you were being mean to me, and your eating habits were making me fat!"

"You're not fat." Harry spoke up, and Filia's heart practically burst once again.

"See, the kid thinks we're fine!" Samson argued, but noticed Filia was too busy kissing Harry's bewildered face to hear him. "Huh."

When Filia finally stopped, she noticed she had essentially scared Harry into a stunned silence, and she blushed deeply. She chuckled sheepishly and hugged him against her breast gently. "Heeheehee... Um... Sorry, honey, you're just... way too cute." She said.

Harry remained silent for a moment to process what just happened before regaining his bearings. "It's okay, Miss Filia... I like getting kisses..."

"Daw, I love kissing you!" Filia cooed in response, before proceeding to cover his tiny face in kisses once again. This time, Harry giggled lightly at them, and Filia loved hearing that sweet sound from him. It was one of the most precious things she had ever heard, she wished she could bottle it up and share it with the world.

Samson chose that moment to chip in. "Yo, Filia! Wanna break out one of those board games or something? I'm really freaking bored here."

"Oooh, that's a great idea, Samson!" Filia said with a bright smile. "Let's play some board games now, okay, Harry?" Harry tilted his head.

"Board games? What's a bored game? I thought Mr. Samson didn't wanna be bored..." Samson groaned.

"Geez, that pun was on the same level as that yappy cat girl we fought..."

"I don't think he knows what they are." Filia replied, and Samson blinked.

"Huh."

A few minutes later, Filia had found snakes and ladders, and was teaching Harry how to play. It took him a few minutes (and some encouraging words from Filia) but Harry seemed to have a grasp on the game now. They and Samson played the game for several minutes, and Samson was getting increasingly frustrated. "Ugh... I haven't gotten a single freaking ladder all game! This is bullcrap!"

"C'mon, Samson, don't be a sore loser, just roll the dice again. You'll get it soon enough." Filia encouraged. Samson snorted and rolled.

He let out a triumphant laugh as the dice netted him a ladder. Then, despite being still a moment prior, it suddenly shifted again, sending him back down the snakes. Filia hurriedly covered Harry's ears so he wouldn't hear the string of curses the parasite let out. Harry was confused, but simply leaned into Miss Filia's touch, distracting the young woman from the cursing. Once Samson calmed down, Filia looked to Harry and nodded. "Okay, your turn sweetie." She smiled, handing the dice to Harry. Harry obediently took his turn, and he rolled a number that allowed him to make another ladder. And this time, it was the ladder that won him the game."Wow, good job, Harry! You won!" Filia cheered, clapping her hands together with a huge, beaming smile that brought a sense of pride to the boy.

"Yeah, well... He's just lucky he's not stuck playing with these obviously weighted dice..." Grumbled a very grumpy Samson, crossing his arms. Harry blushed and looked away, Filia grinned and patted his head before setting the board up to play again. This time, he sat on Filia's lap and they played against Samson. The first few turns were uneventful, but Filia was happy that Harry was in her lap.

The teams had swapped dice in an attempt to pacify the hair monster's dice trouble, but Samson suffered the same inability to get a ladder.

"My freaking SOUL for just ONE. GOD. DAMN. LADDER." The hairy parasite growled in frustration. Harry and Filia won. "...I'm taking a nap." Filia rolledher eyes and smiled down at Harry.

"Don't worry about Samson, he can be a little grumpy sometimes." She chuckled, patting Harry's head. Harry nodded in understanding.

"Sorry you kept getting the snakes, Mr. Samson." Harry said softly. Samson grumbled about 'seeing goddamn snakes in my dreams' and went to sleep.

Filia looked up at the clock. "Oh wow... This looks like the right time to get supper started. Wanna help me make it?" She asked Harry gently.

"Okay." Harry smiled up at Filia, who happily returned it with a wide grin. He was so cute! Filia carried Harry into the kitchen again, and sat him on the counter as she looked around, trying to decide on what to eat. She didn't have a lot of extravagant foods, but enough to make something nice, that was for sure. Plus, she figured Harry would eat anything she gave him. Poor dear...

She looked in the fridge, and she perked up as she settled on a meal. "Ooh, I know! Let's do pork roast!" She said with a smile. She pulled the pork out of the oven, followed by a box of mashed potato mix and a can of corn.

Harry was excited. He had prepared this meal before... It always smelled so good... And now he got to try it for himself. Filia giggled when she saw him bouncing slightly in his seat. "Aww, you seem excited." She cooed, tickling Harry's chin playfully. Harry squeaked in response and blushed. Filia cooed herself and patted his head before picking him up again. "Let's get to work!"

Filia focused on the pork and allowed Harry to deal with the potatoes, keeping a close eye on him out of the corner of her eye to make sure he didn't hurt himself.

Soon enough, the food was in the process of cooking, and all they had to do was wait. The pair took a seat at the table once more and watched the food cook. Filia rubbed his back and Harry let out a tiny yawn, leaning into her chest. Filia giggled and kissed the top of his head.

"You can take a little nap if you want." She smiled. "I'll wake you when dinner is ready."

"I'm not tir..tired Miss Fi..." Harry yawned. Then, the second his yawn was done, he immediately collapsed into a deep sleep, resting his tiny head against her breast. Filia cooed and nuzzled the top of his head with her cheek.

She wanted to keep him... Oh how badly she wanted to keep him... He was just perfect, it was impossible for any child to be so precious... Harry then nuzzled closer and began sucking on his thumb. Filia's eyes widened and sparkled like diamonds at the sight. He was so perfect! She gently kissed his forehead and smiled, adjusting her arm so both were wrapped around the tiny boy. She gently rocked him back and forth, giggling and cooing all the while. He was so hard to put down, and so affection starved that she truly didn't want to put him down.

"Seriously, Filia, get in contact with the sexy princess. She's our best bet at getting him out of there." Filia sighed softly. She would be the first to admit, she didn't fully trust Harry's aunt...

"Okay, Samson... I'll try... But it could take a while... She's very busy... And we still have to take him home tomorrow afternoon..." Samson scowled.

"Damn it... Why do things have to be so complicated?"

"Because I'm not like my family." Filia replied, her voice somewhat irked, and Samson paused before sighing.

"Yeah, yeah that's fair." Filia looked down and gently shook Harry to stir him from his nap.

"Sweetie pie, dinner's ready." She cooed.

Harry, upon being awoken, shot up rather rigidly and looked around madly, fear in his eyes. "I'M SORRY, I'LL GET TO WORK, I...I... He calmed down on remembering where he was.

Filia was looking down at him with great concern written all over her face. "Harry, honey... What's the matter? Why are you so scared?"

Harry flinched noticeably at the question, but forced out an answer regardless. "I...I had a bad dream..." Filia cooed motherly and pulled Harry close again, rocking him in her arms.

"It's okay cutie pie, it's okay. I've got you, you're gonna be safe..." She said soothingly, looking into Harry's terrified eyes, seeming like he was moments away from bursting into tears. "If you need to cry, let it all out." Harry looked up and shook his head.

"I'm fine Miss Filia, it was just a dream."

Filia smiled sadly, letting out a soft hum, and hugged him against her shoulder. "Okay, baby, if you're sure..." She whispered softly into his ear.

Harry bit his lip. He wished he could take her up on her offer... He really did... How badly he wanted to cry... But he just couldn't... If he did... Something would happen...

Filia seemed to notice this and frowned, but decided not to press. She set Harry down on a seat as she brought the food over, giggling at Harry's astonished face at the sight of the food. His little face lighting up was a sight that would never grow old to her... It was just a shame that it was over the most basic human necessities though...

The two ate in relative silence, Filia watching the boy carefully to make sure he didn't eat too fast and choke. It seemed he had no interest in eating fast, however, and instead wanted to savour every morsel of food.

"Don't worry hun, there's plenty of food." Filia said comfortingly.

"But I don't wanna rush. I feel full longer this way." Harry replied, his tone slightly embarrassed.

Filia nodded her head in understanding. "Aaaah, I get it... Okay, honey, you do it your way." She said with a wink before turning back to her own food.

Soon enough, the two were finished eating, and were cuddling on the couch once more to let their food settle, Filia running her hand up and down Harry's back. Filia felt so content... so happy... she felt like this is what her life was meant to be. Just her taking care of the precious little bundle of sweetness. She looked down at him and took in all the subtle little details of his reactions... The way his tiny shoulders rose and fell with each breath... The way his tiny head was always rested on her as though she were a pillow... The way he smiled...

It all made her heart melt into a gooey puddle. She wanted to be a mother... Even if it wasn't Harry specifically... The first chance she got... She WOULD be a mother...

Harry, for his part, felt so happy, yet he knew it wouldn't last. Sooner or later, he'd be back with his aunt, and he'd be hurt again... why couldn't Miss Filia be his mommy?

Samson seemed to read the atmosphere in the room and sighed before quietly talking to Filia.

"I know I've said it a bunch, but we need to do something. That kid is NOT okay. He's terrified, how can you not see that?"

Filia looked down. "I know..." She whispered back. "I know he's scared of something, but what can we do? If we don't take him home, we'll get stuck dealing with the police..."

"Who are on the Medicis payroll..." Samson finished. "...Okay, kid... Tomorrow, you are gonna call that princess up. I know she gave you her contact number."

"Yeah... Yeah, but I can't gurantee she'll answer right away... She has a lot to do... I've called her before... She's only answered two or three times..."

"Yeah, but if she hears about an abused kid, she'll probably act sooner."

Filia looked over to Harry. She still couldn't believe he was abused... he was tiny, sure, but he was probably just underfed. It seemed kinda clear that he and his aunt didn't have a lot of money, so maybe that was why he seemed so skinny.

But that didn't explain the fear.

Multiple times now Filia had seen genuine terror in his eyes, heard it in his voice, and that gave her some concern.

Was Samson right...? Was she just being naive...? She sighed softly. Either way, she would have to take him home tomorrow... His aunt was expecting him... She would try to call Parasoul first thing in the morning, but if that didn't work out...

She looked down at the boy in her arms. He didn't seem to even be acknowledging their discussion. He was simply leaning into her embrace with a content smile on his face. Filia smiled back and rubbed his head, earning a tiny coo from the boy, making her giggle.

"Do you want to watch another movie?" She asked kindly.

"Um. If you want too." Harry replied timidly. Smiling softly, Filia stood and found another movie, this one about fish. More specifically, a fish mother travelling the entire ocean to rescue her child.

Harry loved the movie, but he had to wonder to himself... Would Miss Filia go on a quest like this for him...? In fact...would anybody?

Filia looked down at Harry, smiling as she rubbed his head. If she were his mother, she'd do ANYTHING to protect him, she'd fight anyone, she'd travel the world, she'd fight through the armies of Hell to protect him...

But right now, she knew hugging him was the best sense of protection for him.

As the end credits rolled, Filia looked over at the clock. "Okay, honey... I think it's time we went to bed now." She said softly. Harry nodded and leaned his head against her shoulder.

After turning off the TV and all the lights, Filia carried Harry upstairs, rubbing his back and humming softly into his ear to lull him to sleep.

She heard his soft snores and felt his tiny body relax, signifying he had fallen asleep in her arms. Giggling, Filia kissed his cheek and entered her room. "Goodnigh,t cutie pie." She cooed as she set him on her bed. She quickly got changed into her nightgown and returned to her bed, wrapping Harry in another hug under the warm blankets. This was heaven for her, Harry snuggled in closer in his sleep and was breathing peacefully, his face content... what more could she want?

Giggling softly, the former blonde closed her eyes and focused on falling asleep. In spite of the storm, today had been nice... One of the best days she could remember in fact.

She felt her own eyelids go heavy and closed her eyes slowly, smiling softly as her body's need for sleep overtook her and she drifted off to the land of dreams...

The pair remained where they were throughout the night. Harry felt warm and secure, his dreams weren't nightmares as they usually would be, now he found himself with Miss Filia, the pair embracing one another, Filia keeping Harry safe.

And Filia felt Harry's presence fill a void she never even knew was there... The two slept peacefully, their soft breathing the only sounds that filled the air.

Samson looked over with a scowl. He knew the kid's shrill, stupid bitch of an aunt was abusing him, and Filia needed to do everything she could to stop it! Hell. If it took killing the kid's aunt, he'd do it. It was clear this was wrong, he was traumatized, humiliated, abused...

'Why do you care so much?' Samson mused, wondering why he felt such a need to help Filia protect the kid so much.

'Yes you do.' A voice spoke in his mind. 'He's like a smaller Filia, a smaller Delilah.'

Samson rolled his eyes at the sound of the voice. "Tch... Yeah, cuz I remember the phase those two went through where they were scared of their own...shadow..."

Oh, that made sense. The other humans in his life could take care of themselves to a degree. But not this kid. He absolutely needed protection.

He looked down at the two, so content with holding one another. Filia really did look like a mother, and she sure acted like one too. Her love was pure, it was clear she adored this little guy, and Samson had to admit, she was proabably the best choice for someone to take care of him. And that was why he needed to do something, anything to put a stop to the boy's abuse. That bitch was going to pay, one way or the other...

Still, he figured that could wait until tomorrow. If Filia awoke to find him making a 'Kill List' on the wall again, well, he remembered her threat concerning a buzz cut and bleach from last time. He shuddered at the thought. The bleach he was sure he could handle, but a buzz cut?! NEVER a buzz cut, in a million years!

Samson smirked, it was clear how much Filia was the polar opposite of her extended family, it was clear she could be tough, she could be aggressive when she needed to, but she could never fall to the level of the things they did, and he was happy to see her grow.

Shrugging, the parasite closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep as well, his dreams filled with gleeful slaughter of Medici assholes and Harry's aunt.

Filia awoke groggily the next morning to the sound of a lightning clap. She was briefly startled at the feeling of something moving in her arms, but she then remembered the events of yesterday. "Aww..." She cooed at the sight of little Harry cuddled into her chest. Leaning forward, she kissed his forehead. The tiny boy cooed and squirmed happily in his sleep. It was the cutest thing Filia had ever seen. She noticed now more than ever just how small Harry seemed, even compared to her. It seemed like a harsh breeze could knock him over, and Filia didn't like that...

Then, her stomach growled, and her face turned slightly red. Carefully, she climbed out of bed, making absolutely sure not to wake up Harry. Leaning down to kiss his cheek once more, she gently carressed his face. "I'll be right back with breakfast, sweetheart...", She whispered softly before quietly leaving the room. Samson was still fast asleep on her head, so Filia simply set to making something for Harry to eat. She decided to make a sandwich for the little boy. A few minutes later, she returned to her room to see Harry tiredly carrying her clothes around.

"Harry? What are you doing?" She asked, confused.

"M'cleaning up... Um... Where do these go...?" Filia was mortified when he held up a pair of her underwear. Letting out a squeak, she hurriedly threw them in the hamper.

"Harry, no. This is my mess, and you're my guest. You don't have to clean up after me." She assured as she picked him up and tucked him back into bed. "Now here... I made you breakfast." She handed Harry his sandwich on a tray. "Just eat over the tray, okay, baby?"

"I'm sorry..." Harry mumbled looking down. Filia quickly reassured him with a kiss to the forehead.

"It's alright cutie. It's very sweet of you to try and help, but you need your rest. Enjoy your breakfast." Harry nodded timidly and began eating the sandwhich. Filia watched him with a fond smile as he ate, and stayed by his side until every morsel was finished. She took the tray back, and he began warily looking over the bed for any crumbs. "It's okay, sweetie, don't worry. If you did spill a few crumbs, I'll just clean them up later." She assured him gently, effectively pacifying the boy. Harry smiled and held his tiny arms up, Filia cooed and pulled him into a tight hug. She didn't want to take him back, but she knew she had too... She knew what Samson would say 'Keep him.' or 'Call the princess chick, she owes us.'

Filia bit her lip. If she did call the princess and she answered, what then? Say 'Hey, could you make it legal for me to take a child away from his aunt because I love him more?'

She looked down at the little boy in her arms and sighed sadly. Well, the storm hadn't ended quite yet... All she could do now was enjoy the time she had left with him.

The two sat down on the couch and Filia turned on the TV again, this time to a cartoon called Imposter's House for Fabricated Buddies.

"Oh come on! That son of a bitch Rendy's getting off scot-free after all the crap he's been pulling?! That's bullcrap!" Samson exclaimed, flipping off the TV. Luckily, Filia had sensed Samson's frustration and covered Harry's ears.

"Yeah, that...wasn't the best episode..." Filia agreed.

Harry didn't like Rendy... The way he got the main characters in trouble for things he did hit a little too close to home for him as he remembered his cousin.

Filia seemed to notice this and quickly flipped through the channels some more. She enjoyed the show, but it was clear this was upsetting to Harry. Finally, she ended up on Worldwide Expedition and saw Harry's interest pique at the sight of tigers. It wasn't clear if he liked them, or if he had never seen them before.

"They look like kitties." Harry finally said.

"Well, tigers are essentially big cats." Filia smiled rubbing his back. This seemed to greatly comfort Harry when she did it, so tried to do it often.

He watched the screen intently, smiling widely as he watched the tigers go about their daily lives. They were so cool... And really pretty too.

When the documentary ended, Filia looked outside. Her heart sank when she saw that the rain had stopped and the sun was beginning to shine through. Samson looked to where Filia was looking and realized why her mood suddenly shifted. He sighed, knowing at this point there was nothing he (or Filia) could do. They had taken care of the kid but as long as his aunt was alive (something Samson was totally fine with changing) they'd have to take him back today. But he decided not to ruin this moment for Filia and Harry...

Harry looked outside as well, and he felt his happiness instantly fade into nonexistence. It was time for him to go home... No more Miss Filia... No more hugs... No more love...

He fought back tears as Filia rose to her feet slowly. "I'm sorry, honey... It looks like it's time to go home now..." She said softly.

'But I am home...' Harry thought. 'With you...' Filia gave him a long kiss on the cheek, noticing the silent tears in his eyes. It broke her heart.

"Hey, don't worry, we'll see each other again real soon!" She said, forcing a smile.

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Uh-huh. I'll talk to your aunt and see if I can watch you when she's busy."

"I'd like that..." Harry mumbled, leaning into Filia's hug.

"Me too, Harry Beary... Me too..." Filia rocked him in her arms again before rising to her feet. "C'mon... Let's get going..." She solemnly walked out the door.

She took the most roundabout route back to Harry's 'house' she could find, wanting to squeeze out as much time as possible with him, even stopping for some ice cream. Even though he had the cone, Harry just sadly looked from the cone to Filia, not wanting to eat it for some time. Filia felt her heart ache when she saw his saddened demeanour. She held him closer as she kept walking, trying to enjoy this, but having a hard time doing it. And when the house came into view, she felt the little boy tremble slightly in her arms, increasing her heartbreak even further. It sounded like someone was yelling from inside... And indeed, Harry's aunt was screaming at some neighbourhood kids. The kids were laughing as they took off, one of them even flipping her off. Filia grimaced, still trying to think positively about her. But it was getting harder by the second.

The teens walked past her, and she heard them talking about the woman that lived within that house. "Dude, I thought it was just an urban legend! Some crazy bitch actually moved into that old place?!"

"Yeah, must be some crazy hobo. I hear she scams people by selling crappy house decorations and making some little kid deliver them to dodge responsibility."

"Uh-uh!"

"Hey, Sean's dad was complaining about it the other day! Said the only reason he hasn't done anything about it is because he feels sorry for her!"

"Not too late to just go home and keep him." Samson whispered.

"We can't..." Filia sadly whispered back as she approached the run down home they were living in.

"What do you want?" Petunia scowled when she saw Filia approaching, then she saw Harry in her arms, and her expression didn't change. If anything, it got more agitated. "Where were you!?" She snapped.

Filia stepped in. "I told you what happened to him! He got stuck in the storm last night and I had to keep him at my house!" She exclaimed, not expecting the amount of intensity in her voice.

"What?! No you didn't! No one told me any such thing!" The woman shrieked, sending spittle flying into Filia's face.

"What are you talking about?! I talked to you on the phone last night! Seriously, lady, you can NOT keep sending him out all alone like this! He's gotten lost three times, he says a man is following him, he had a KNIFE held to his throat, and he would have been stranded out in a dangerous storm all day yesterday if I hadn't found him! You're putting him in DANGER! CONSTANTLY! And why?! Because you want him to get excercise?! No more of that, do you hear me?! If you want him to go out so badly, then I'll babysit him! You don't even have to pay me! But if you send him out on his own one more time, I'm gonna get the police involved!" Of course she had no intention of involving the corrupted police force, but she didn't need to know that.

The (rather ugly) woman went silent. Filia knew deep down that she'd send Harry out again regardless, but at least that fear may keep Harry safe for a day or two... Petunia growled something inaudiable as she began going back into her house, clearly not going to argue anymore with Filia.

"I'll see you again soon love." Filia cooed, kissing Harry's head and setting him down with tears in her eyes. Harry tried to hug Filia again, before walking towards his home as if he was heading to prison. She quickly reached into her skirt pocket. "Wait, honey..." She stopped him. "Here..." She handed him a sheet of paper. "Please... Give this to your aunt... It's my phone number."

"O-Okay, Miss Filia... Thank you..." Harry said softly. Filia leaned down and kissed his forehead, hugging him for a few more seconds, before letting him go and watching him enter the house.

A fire ignited within her, and she scowled and stomped her way home. She was going to get in contact with the princess... Harry was NOT staying in that run down house with that unhinged old hag!

Back in the house, Petunia was punishing Harry. The little boy whimpered in pain as he felt the wooden board repeatedly strike his tiny, frail body. "STUPID BOY! YOU WORTHLESS WASTE OF LIFE! HOW DARE YOU BRING THAT SHORT SKIRT WEARING HARLOT TO MY HOME?!" Petunia shrieked as she continued the beating. When she was done, she lifted the boy up and slammed him into the wall, pinning him there. "You're never going to see that BITCH again. Do you hear me? NEVER." Then, she carried him to the basement stairs and threw him down, listening to him bouncing and crying out with grim satisfaction before slamming the door.

Harry tried to get up... But it hurt... Everything hurt... But the worst pain of all was in his back... He didn't move, he just lay there, eventually giving up the fight and silently crying. If that was the last time he would ever see Miss Filia... at least he met one person who was kind to him.

"Mama..." he whimpered quietly. "Miss Filia... please don't go..."

The basement seemed colder than it ever had before, and the warmth he found in thoughts of Miss Filia were gone. All there was was the cold sense of pain his life had been.

Meanwhile...

"I'm gonna kill her." Samson remarked.

Filia didn't reply, too busy dialing Parasoul's number. She silently agreed with the parasite, wishing she could punch the old hag right in the face...

She finished dialing the number, and held the phone up to her ear, silently praying for an answer. There was a ring. No answer... Okay, just one ring...

A second ring. No answer... Slightly more concerning, but nothing to stress over.

Ring three. No answer. Filia bit her lip. 'Please, Princess...'

Ring four...and she heard a click on the other end, sending her hopes soaring.

"Hello, Filia. It's been quite some time since we last talked. I trust you're doing well?"

"Princess...Princess, please... You have to help me... I...I..."

"Filia?" The princess' normally calm and collected voice held an underlying concern. "Are you all right?"

"No!" Filia was on the verge of tears now, and the other end of the line was silent for a minute.

"Okay, take a few deep breaths, we'll figure this out." The Princess said calmingly. Filia's breath came out in stuttering gasps, but eventually she managed to calm herself somewhat. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I met this little angel the other day... and Oh God... He... he..."

Filia felt like she was about to burst into tears again, and Samson took the phone from her.

"Hey, your majesty. This is Samson. I'm Filia's friend. Uh, this might be shocking but..."

Parasoul listened on the other end patiently as Samson told her everything that had been happening with Harry. "Seriously, this woman's out of her mind! She lives in a run down shack, she sends him out all alone in a bad neighbourhood, she scams people, there's no way she's fit to have a kid in her house! And we can't involve the police-"

"Because of the Medicis..." Parasoul concluded in understanding. "I see... So you called me out of desperation..." She sighed. "Luckily, I happen to have time to assist you. I'm on my way, okay? Put Filia on the line for me, won't you?"

"Right... Here." Samson handed Filia the phone, and the sniffling girl took it.

"Filia...Tell me... Do you believe in destiny?" Filia nodded her head before remembering Parasoul couldn't see it.

"Y-Yes, princess..."

"Good... Though some may see it as illogical... I don't believe that your frequent encounters with this boy are coincidence. I believe that fate is likely trying to bring you two together... Don't worry, Filia. I will do everything in my power to ensure that you are a part of this child's life."

"Thank you... thank you so much..." Filia finally got out.

"This WILL be dealt with, I promise you." Parasoul promised. "I'm on my way, I'll see you soon."

With that she hung up the phone, leaving the two in a cold silence.

"Filia." Samson said matter-of-factly. "This isn't a suggestion. I'm telling you. Sit down. And cry. You need to let it out."

Filia nodded her head slowly, then took a seat and buried her face in her hands, letting of a stifled sob. Then she let it flow freely. She just couldn't take it... The mere thought of such a sweet thing living alone with such an awful woman... She sobbed her heart out for the boy... She had to save him...

Lying in the basement, Harry waited. He waited until he no longer heard his aunt pacing about and grumbling upstairs. That was usually a sign that she was taking her nap.

Quietly, the boy snuck up the stairs, wincing at every creak, then slowly opened the door. He creeped his way to the front door... and he threw it open and ran, ignoring the pain in his leg and back. He was running away, and he was NEVER going back.

He could hear his aunt screaming at him, but he didn't care. He never wanted to see her again, he never wanted to go back to that house. He didn't know what having a loving parent was like, but he knew Miss Filia was at least kind, and that was good enough for him.

As he kept running, he tried to ignore the pain that was getting worse and worse with each step. Finally, he saw the alleyway where they had met some time ago, he wasn't sure if it would lead to the school or Miss Filia's apartment, but right now, neither one of those things mattered to him.

He had to take a break as he felt like his legs were about to give out. As he sat on the ground, trying to catch his breath, he heard footsteps approaching. A bolt of terror and hope shot through him at the same time. Maybe it was Miss Filia, or maybe it was his aunt.

"Aye kid. What's a littl' bloke like you doing out 'ere?" A voice said. As Harry looked over, he saw a large furry animal man. It was a wolf... Black fur, sharp teeth, sadistic grin, the works. Harry was to tired and scared to say anything.

Harry flinched at the unfamiliar voice, suddenly having a very bad feeling about this particular man. The look in his eyes... It promised nothing good.

Meanwhile, Filia was eagerly rushing to throw open her front door the second she heard the knocking. She was so relieved to see the princess that she threw her arms around her in a tight hug.

"Hello, Filia." Parasoul replied with a small smile. "I'm glad to see you too."

"Thank you SO MUCH for coming!" Filia exclaimed. "C'mon, I'll explain what's happening. I wanna help the little guy as soon as I can!"

Parasoul nodded her head. "Yes, Samson told me his side of the story, so we'll need yours as well. You can explain it as we make our way to this house. EGRETS!" The small number of Black Egrets that had come along saluted. "Follow close behind us. There will be no distractions of any kind, STEVE." She gave a stern glance to an Egret who coughed in response.

"Chase one butterfly during recon duty..." The man mumbled.

"All right...Let's hurry!" Filia rushed in the direction of Harry's home, the princess close behind.

"Oi, kid. You a mutie or somethin'?" The Wolf man asked, still slowly walking towards Harry. The tiny boy was too hurt and too tired to run, and he felt like crying out for Miss Filia. "Aw c'mon junior, ya can talk to yer Uncle Echo."

"Please go away..." Harry mumbled, shutting his eyes in fear.

"Hey now kid, there's no need ta be 'fraid." The Wolf said, continuing to walk closer, reaching into his trench coat for something. "Imma help you out 'ere, and in turn, yer gonna help me..."

Harry began to try and crawl away, until he head a snarl and found himself pinned against the wall. He cried out in pain as tears began running down his face. He heard a metallic jangling, followed by a 'Snap!' and Harry found it much harder to move his head, but he could see there was some sort of collar on him.

"C'mon kid. Yer' gonna make me some cash." The Wolf remarked as he yanked on the chain, dragging Harry closer to him.

"N-No, please, let go..." Harry pulled at the chain. "Wh-What are you doing?! Where are you taking me?!" The wolf chuckled.

"I been lookin' at you fer a good long while, small fry. Kiddies like you fetch a high price on the market. I'm about to have me a fancy new car, an' it's all thanks ta you. I'm so grateful."

"H-Huh...? Wait..." He remembered the cloaked figure that had always been watching him. "You're... You're him...! The scary man...!"

"Scary man, eh? Heheheh... I like it." The wolf snickered before giving the chain a harsh yank. "Now be a good boy and shut yer yap!"

Filia and Parasoul were almost at Harry's home, Filia had been unnaturally quiet most of the way. "You really care for him, don't you?" Parasoul finally said.

"I don't think id've contacted you if I didn't..." Filia mumbled in response.

Parasoul nodded in understanding. Filia frowned as she felt Samson squirming about on the back of her head. "Hey, un, Samson? What's wrong?"

"I dunno, kid... I just got a really bad feeling..." The parasite grumbled.

Very nearby, Harry was beginning to struggle against his restraints, whimpering softly. The wolf rolled his eyes. "Stop yer whinin', runt, yer makin' my ears hurt."

"What are you gonna do to me?!" Harry panicked.

"Sell ya of course. You'll be a nice little slave, won't ya? Doin' all that work fer that ugly old bat... You'll scrub floors, you'll cook food, you'll do all sorts'a work! Not a minute's rest without our permission or you'll get yerself flogged! Heheheh... I know a couple o' the guys who'll love breakin' you in, boyo."

"No! Let me go! Miss Filia! Help!" The wolf growled, tired of the crying (something he had to deal with a lot) and yanked Harry up by the chain, making it harder for the boy to breathe.

"I didn' wanna do this, but yer pissin' me off." He grabbed what could only be described as a twisted version of a bite lock used on wild animals and forced it into Harry's mouth.

"Miss Filia! Hel-" Harry's screams were cut short by the restraint now in his mouth, this only caused him to cry more. He figured this was it. He began to wonder if Miss Filia was all a dream... that he had made the mistake of running away from home and this was his punishment.

"Stop th' damn waterworks!" The wolf snapped, this only made Harry cry harder. "Maybe this'll shut you up..."

Retracting one of his claws, he cut Harry across the side of his face. It wouldn't be permanently damaging, but it was more to get the message across.

The boy whimpered and closed his eyes, feeling the blood dribble down his chin. "Now, I dunno who this Filia is, but you'd better forget about 'er. Yer goin' far, FAR away from this place y'know." The wolf chuckled.

However, little did they know, Harry's calls for help were heeded...

Filia was leading the way to Harry's home, when something caught her ears. She stopped, attentive to the noise, holding up a finger to make sure her companions were silent.

It was...a very familiar voice... It sounded like... Harry... And an adult male voice... One she was unfamiliar with... Filia turned to Parasoul. "Princess... He's out here... He's being kidnapped!" Filia rushed off in the direction she heard the voices, paying no heed to Parasoul's calls to wait up. The young woman sprinted as fast as her legs would carry her.

"Filia, take a left!" Samson barked. Filia obeyed. "Now! Through that alley!" The former blonde rushed through the alley in question. "Another left! He's just across the street from there!"

Filia followed Samson's directions... And what she saw made her blood simultaneosly run cold and reach a tempermental boil.

She saw Harry chained up and being attacked by a wolf-man. She didn't know why he was doing this, but she did know that he was most likely going to die. Before Samson could give advice, yell death threats, or even change himself into a weapon to help Filia, the young woman had already punched the wolf right in the gut, knocking all the wind out of him and making Harry fall to the ground. Grabbing a lid off of a garbage can, she slammed the bottom of it into the wolf's face, making a resounding 'CLANG!' and chipping multiple teeth.

"Oi! What giv-" The wolf began to demand, but was silenced by another hit, this time to the top of his head with the side of the lid, silencing him.

"Filia, what's... OHMYGOD!" Parasoul screamed as she appeared in the alleyway, seeing not only her friend beating the living daylights out of a wolf-man, but a tiny, heavily injured, bleeding boy tied up in chains.

She knew EXACTLY what this was... She scowled at the wolf man. "Slave trading...Reprehensible..." She all but spat.

"Be with ya in a sec, PP." Samson said, suddenly stretching out and snapping the restraints and chains keeping Harry from speaking or moving. "Heya kid. Don't worry, you're safe now."

"I...I thought you were a dream..." Harry mumbled, clearly in pain.

"Nah, we're real kid." Samson shook his head as Parasoul gently picked up Harry, making him squeak in fear. "It's fine, she's Filia's friend. She's gonna make sure you're okay while Filia and I make sure this guy regrets ever being born."

He said the last part with pure venom and hatred in his tone, and Parasoul nodded, getting the message, and gently rested Harry's head against her bosom.

"Don't worry, little one." She said gently, trying to be a reassuring presence. "This lowlife WILL be dealt with."

Harry said nothing. He felt numb. Empty. Broken... He just stared forward with a blank expression on his face. Parasoul gave him a sad look. It was always like this when children were saved from those damned slave traders...

Filia wasn't even thinking anymore. Her vision was entirely obscured by red as she rained blow after blow upon the wolf...no, the MONSTER that had the nerve to put his hands on her Harry.

"Yo, Filia!" Samson grabbed her arms to restrain her. She struggled and thrashed, not even close to feeling satisfied yet.

"LET GO! I'M NOT FINISHED YET! IT'S STILL BREATHING!" She shrieked.

"Yeah, but you're hogging all the fun! It's MY turn now! Go hug the kid! I'm gonna make a xylophone out of his ribs!"

Filia suddenly snapped back to attention, remembering Harry. Leaving the symbiote to continue beating the wolf into the ground, Filia hurried over to Parasoul and nearly burst into tears when she saw the condition Harry was in. Parasoul gently handed him over to Filia and Harry's eyes widened in shock and wonder.

"Miss... Filia!" He finally managed to get out.

"Harry... I'm so sorry!" Filia said, tears forming in her eyes. "I shouldn't have left you there... I shouldn't have..."

She forced herself to calm down with a deep breath. "Harry, honey...? Are you okay...? Did he really hurt you...?" She asked softly, gently dabbing at the cut on his cheek with a handkerchief she took from her skirt pocket.

"I...I...I..." Harry stammered, an audible quake in his voice as he tried desperately to regain his composure and answer the woman he wished was his mother.

Everything the little boy had been through in his five years of living was coming back to him all at once, hitting him like a freight train.

Being screamed at for crying when he was a baby... The first time his uncle had hit him for bumping into Dudley... His first beating for spilling his water... The day his relatives had stopped feeding him meals... All the work and labour he got stuck doing, only for it to be destroyed by his malicious cousin... All the times he was told he was a worthless, unloved freak... The times he'd been burned on the stovetop... That one time his cousin and his friends made him drink what was under the sink... All the beatings he received, often to the point where it was hard to move... His aunt's slow descent into madness... The abuse becoming even more violent and painful... Being thrown out of the house... Being stalked... Being threatened with a knife... Nearly losing Miss Filia forever... And being chained up, dragged and attacked like an animal...

It was all too much for a little boy to deal with... Little Harry Potter had shown admirable strength by holding back his emotions as long as he had... But he just couldn't do it anymore... He was breaking rapidly, no matter how hard he tried to hold it in...

Looking up at Filia, he said something that made her heart break for the tiny boy she had grown to love. "I...I want my mommy..."

And then, the dam burst.

Harry let everything out, crying into Filia's chest. He felt so much pain, so much confusion. He didn't know why things had happened to him the way they had. Had he done something wrong? Did he deserve this?!

Filia remained silent, tears running down her face as she held Harry close to her chest and watched him let it all out. It was heartbreaking, the tiny boy was clearly in so much pain, and it seemed like he had never been allowed to cry. She was also somewhat furious with herself, Samson was right all along, and so much of how he had acted when they first met, or when he stayed with her pointed to this. But she hadn't seen it.

"It's okay love... I'm here." Filia said softly, whether Harry heard it or not didn't seem to make a difference, he kept crying almost inconsolably. But Filia knew this was part of the healing process. She didn't like that he needed to take this healing process, but she now knew it was necessary.

She looked up at Parasoul, who was looking at the boy with a solemn expression before turning back to her trio of egrets. One was hanging his head in a solemn manner, one was looking away, the noises he made making it evident he was struggling not to cry, and one was openly sobbing. "Egrets..." The three men nodded and stepped forward, one putting himself between the man and Samson to stop the parasite from killing him.

"Hey! What gives?!" Samson complained. "He hasn't stopped breathing yet!"

"Samson... We can't take the law into our own hands like that. We're lucky the princess hasn't arrested us..."

"Yes, by all accounts, I should have stopped you..." Parasoul admitted. "But...I understand maternal fury...all too well." The princess looked at Harry. "...He needs you, Filia... There is no one more suited to raise this boy than you..."

"Please don't send me away again..." Harry mumbled, clutching to Filia's shirt. "I don't wanna hurt anymore..." Filia tightened her grip on the boy and kissed the top of his head, trying to do anything that could calm him, yet it all seemed useless in the moment.

"I'm not. I'm gonna make sure you're taken care of. I promise, no one will ever hurt you again." She cooed softly. "I'll take care of you...

Harry tightened his hug, and she rocked him back and forth gently. "...Princess... Do you think it would be possible for me to officially adopt Harry...?"

Parasoul nodded. "Yes... I will do everything in my power to make this happen. You two...I can tell it was just meant to be... After we confront his aunt, I'm sure we can prepare the adoption."

"A-Adopt...?" Harry said softly. Filia kissed his cheek.

"Yes, honey... Adopt,.. It means I'm going to be officially resposible for raising you... I want to help you, Harry... It's my responsibility... As your friend, and...as your new mother."

"M..mama?" Harry stammered, in utter disbelief. But when he saw Filia's smile, he knew she was telling the truth. Harry's eyes watered again, and Filia held him close once more.

"Go on baby, mommy's here." She cooed softly.

Harry broke down into tears once again, but this time, they seemed to be out of joy more than pain. Filia let silent happy tears run down her face as well. She was so happy. Harry was safe, he was going to be. She'd never let anyone hurt him ever again!

Two thoughts formed in her mind; first, they still needed to deal with Harry's aunt. Secondly, and probably more importantly, Harry needed medical attention.

She rocked him back and forth gently, and felt torn on what to do... She really wanted to take Harry to the hospital and get him healed... But at the same time... She NEEDED to give that rotten witch a piece of her mind.

Parasoul noticed Filia's dilemma and put a hand on her shoulder. "His injuries aren't going to threaten his long term health, Filia. There's plenty of time."

Filia looked at her, nodding with grim determination, then looked down at her sobbing charge... No... Her sobbing son... Gently, she cupped his chin.

"Okay, honey... We're going to go back to your aunt just one more time, okay?"

"No please! I don't wanna!" He exclaimed beginning to thrash aggressively again. "Please don't take me back!"

"Harry, Harry! I promise you aren't staying there. We're going to make sure your aunt pays for what she did to you. She'll never hurt you or anyone ever again. I promise." Filia said as soothingly as possible. "I won't ever leave with that horrible woman. But we need to go put this to rest, we'll make sure she's dealt with. Please, be strong."

Harry whimpered and buried his face in Filia's chest. "I...I ran away because I never wanted to see her again..."

"And that's okay..." Filia whispered softly into his ear. "I promise this WILL be the last time... And you're not gonna be alone... Mommy's gonna be right there with you the whole time..."

"P-Promise you won't let go...?"

"As long as we're there, I won't put you down for even a second."

"Does that mean I get to kill her?" Samson asked hopefully.

"No." Filia flatly replied. "We're not killing her."

"Why not?!"

"If we do, we'll probably go to jail, and she won't." Filia reasoned. The parasite paused, then grumbled something in annoyance. Something along the lines of 'Fine, but I don't like it. But fine.'

Filia patted her parasite gently. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, Samson... You were right all along... I should have seen the signs sooner..."

"Damn right ya should've! Any longer and the kid could have been-" Filia smacked him lightly.

"No, don't say it..." Samson wanted to, but he knew how hurt she was right now. He remained silent then looked to Harry.

"Hey kid, you okay?" He asked as calmly as he could.

"N..n..ye..idunno..." Harry finally mumbled. "He... he was trying to... to..."

"Hey, Hey it's okay kid." Samson said. "He won't hurt you. No one will. Filia's got you."

Harry nodded his head slowly and nuzzled in closer to his...his mother... Miss Filia was gonna be his mommy... At last... He had a mommy... Filia could seemingly sense his thoughts and smiled widely down at the sleeping boy.

"That's right honey, mommy's here." She cooed gently, her tone soothing to the terrified boy. She was furious with herself, but she would deal with that later. Harry was hers now. She'd do anything to keep him safe, and she'd never, EVER, let him wander the streets on his own again. That may have been how they met, but she also nearly lost him to that as well.

Tightening her hold on him, she gently rocked him back and forth in order to lull him to sleep... He'd had a very hard day, and right now, he needed to rest.

She watched him rest his head against her breast, yawn adorably, and close his eyes before drifting off into a peaceful slumber in her arms.

Looking over, she saw the slaver being restrained by the egrets, Princess Parasoul reciting to him his rights.

"I still say we should kill him. And the kid's aunt." Samson grumbled.

"I agree with you, we just can't." Filia quietly replied, and Samson went into a shocked silence.

"Wait. Really?" He asked in disbelief.

"Well, after what they did to the poor thing... kind of." Filia sighed, clearly not happy with the circumstances around these past few days. "But if we do, it'll set a bad example for Harry. I don't know if it would make us better or worse than them, I just know it'll damage Harry more."

Samson was silent for a few moments, and Filia expected he was trying to think of a counter argument.

"Y'know. You've really matured Fifi." He finally said.

Filia pouted at the nickname. "Don't call me Fifi!" She whined. Samson laughed in response.

"Ha! Mostly, anyway. Ya still pout like a five year old whenever I get under your skin." Filia stomped her foot in response.

"You are the WORST!" She complained. Samson laughed and began pulling on her cheeks. "Hey! Weggo!"

This continued for half the walk to Petunia's house. When Parasoul saw it, she immediately frowned. "This old place? It's to my understanding that it's been abandoned for seven years... It's in shambles. THIS is where she lives?"

"Yeah... I guess she just...moved in one day..." Filia said with a shrug.

Parasoul sighed, then knelt down to look at Harry. "Harry, dear." She asked as kindly as she could. "Is this where you lived?" Harry took one look at his old house and immediately buried his face into Filia's chest, shaking uncontrollably. "I believe that answers that." The princess sighed, before biting her lip. This question wasn't going to be a fun one, but she needed to ask it. "Your aunt... she forced you out of the house?" There was silence for a few moments until Harry finally spoke again.

"N...no." He mumbled. "I ran away... I was scared."

"He said that his aunt made him deliver something to people, and then he got lost." Filia answered the question she realized Parasoul was asking.

"Oh... You meant all the other times... She... She made me leave a lot because...because..." Tears began to form in his eyes again. "Because she hates me! She wants me to be hurt! She hits me all the time, and she always yells at me, and she makes me do all the work, and...and...She threw me down the stairs, and now my back hurts... And she burns me on the stove, and she chokes me, and she cuts me, and she...she...she..."

Harry couldn't keep talking, as he was now hyperventilating, having a nervous breakdown at the memory of all the brutal, painful punishments his aunt had put him through.

Now everyone present was in horrified silence. There were a lot of bad people in the world. Filia wouldn't deny that. The slaver she had saved Harry from, some of her own family.

But to hear that someone would DARE abuse Harry in the ways he had been by HIS OWN AUNT... It was sickening. Filia's face drained of colour as she stared in horrified silence at Harry.

It took several seconds for her to process that her boy was hyperventilating, and when she realized it, she immediately set to trying to console him. "Shhh... Shh shh shh shh shh... It's okay, Harry... Mommy's got you... Oh God, my little baby boy... How could anyone...?"

Samson turned to Parasoul with a scowl. "Can't I at least take off an arm?"

"No. But I will allow three punches each for you and Filia."

"I'll take what I can get. I call her face by the way." Samson quickly added.

Parasoul sighed, feeling like she may have made a mistake. But then again, she couldn't imagine this monster lasting too long in prison.

"C'mon, lets get this over with so you can take Harry to a hospital." Parasoul finally said.

The princess stepped forward and knocked on the door, trying to look as professional as possible. She heard screaming on the other side.

"Come crawling back, have you, boy? Good! Because when I get my hands on you, I am going to peel the skin off your bloody arms and make you eat it, you ungrateful-" The door was thrown open, and Petunia balked slightly. Parasoul stood with a stern glare, arms crossed under her bust. The egrets stood with their weapons at the ready in case she tried anything. Filia was holding Harry tightly against her bosom, looking ready to rip her head off. "...Who the bloody hell are you?!"

"I happen to be the princess of this kingdom. Your ruler. And you are under investigation for child abuse."

"I did no such thing!" Petunia screeched. Parasoul and Filia grimaced, not only at the woman's screeching voice, but by the sight they were about to see. The princess nodded and Filia slightly lifted Harry's shirt up. There was just enough skin showing to reveal the bruises and scars.

Not liking the sight of it, Filia quickly lifted off the rest of the shirt... And was unable to stop the horrified scream that escaped her lips at the sight.

Parasoul looked at the boy's horribly injured, frail, concave body with wide eyes. She was no stranger to gruesome injuries... But this?! This was a CHILD that looked like he'd just spent three hours fighting the Skullgirl! She heard one of her Egrets throwing up behind her. She didn't blame him.

Samson peeked over to see what the fuss was about, and made his presence known to Petunia by grabbing her by the shirt and snarling in her face. "Okay, horsey. Start talkin'. Admit you did it, or I'm gonna turn your ugly, scrawny ass into god damn glue!"

Petunia was briefly stunned into silence by Samson's sudden appearance, and after a few moments, she slammed the door, clearly realizing what had caught up with her. Samson then looked to Parasoul.

"Can I?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes." The princess nodded. Samson gave a 'Woo!' in excitement before beginning to change into a larger form.

"Knock knock bitch!" He yelled as he punched the door (and a good chunk of the front wall) inwards, sending the rotting door flying and shattering into pieces when it hit a wall.

Filia hung off his back, hugging Harry tightly, looking down at him with a haunted look on her face as Samson advanced on the cowering Petunia.

"Get away...! Get away from me...!" She swung at the giant hairball with a broom. Samson responded by grabbing the broom and eating it.

"I'm not gonna say it again, ya damn hag. Start. F*cking. Talking." The now large parasite snarled.

"He's a damn FREAK!" Petunia suddenly shrines hysterically. "He took me from my husband... he...he...he dragged me here! So...So I punished him... I gave him the pain he BLOODY DESERVED! He deserved everything he got!"

The room felt colder than ever. Anger and hatred flowed through Filia, Samson and even Parasoul. The princess was reconsidering the 'three punches' deal, and expanding it to 'thirty three'. Or more.

Samson, for his part, decided he was gonna milk the three punches for all they were worth, going for a punch to the face to break Petunia's nose, a blow to the ribs to fracture one, and a hit to the eye to blacken it.

"Oh GOD, that felt good!" The parasite gloated as the woman shrieked violently, clutching her ribcage in pain. "Ah quit being a drama queen, I barely touched ya!" Suddenly revealing his fangs he added: "and I'm just getting started!" In a demonic voice, making Petunia continue to scream.

"Samson!" Filia called. "That's enough!"

"Aw, c'mon!" HE groaned, shrinking back to a smaller size as Filia approached the cowering woman, handing Harry to Parasoul, she cracked her neck. Ready to exact revenge for her son.

"THIS is for throwing him out onto the streets to wander alone, lost and scared." She hit Petunia square in the face, snapping the woman's head back.

"THIS is for emotionally abusing him and convincing him no one loves him." She hit Petunia in the gut, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to double over.

"And THIS...IS WHAT YOU GET FOR HAVING THE GALL TO PHYSICALLY ABUSE MY BABY BOY!" Filia roared as she hit the woman hard enough to launch her into a wall.

Parasoul winced slightly as she held Harry's head close to her chest again, trying to keep the tiny boy from seeing what was happening. She had only known Harry a few minutes, but she knew him seeing this wouldn't help him.

Filia took in a few deep breaths, Samson slowly made his presence known again, positioning himself to look into her eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concern clear in his voice.

She looked her parasite dead in the eyes and took a deep breath. "I...Yes, I think so... That really helped me get it out of my system..." She said softly.

Parasoul stepped forward and held the boy out for Filia to take. "Here... He needs you." Filia smiled softly and took Harry into her arms, tightly embracing him.

"M-Miss Fil- I mean...mommy...?" Harry said softly. Filia tilted her head and smiled to show that she was listening. "I...I'm sorry... I lied to you..."

"No...nononono don't apologize." Filia cooed, whispering into Harry's ear. "You were terrified and threatened, it's not your fault. Don't think it was."

Harry looked up at Filia, seeming shocked that this WASN'T his fault... but eventually he buried his face into her chest and tried to hug his mama. Sure, he was too small to sufficiently do so. Filia just hugged Harry closer with a wide smile, understanding what he was trying to do.

The two of them embraced each other in silence for what felt like an eternity. They didn't notice anything that happened around them, lost in each other's presence.

Psrasoul was having the unconscious Petunia restrained along with the unconscious slave trader, the former to be institutionalized, the latter to be executed. She was calling for a vehicle to transport the prisoners in. Filia and Harry were oblivious to her presence, however...

To both of them, it felt as though they were the only two people in the world. Just mother and son, enjoying each other's company...

"I...I... I love you, mommy..." Harry said softly.

"I love you too, sweetie." Filia replied calmly. "And I promise, no one will ever hurt you again..."

After remaining in each other's embrace for a few minutes, tenderly enjoying the warmth radiating off of each other, Samson finally spoke up.

"Hey, uh... Hate to ruin the moment, but maybe we should take the kid to a doctor. I hate thinking about it, but we should try and get those injuries looked at."

Filia blinked owlishly and nodded her head. "Right. Thanks, Samson..." She kissed Harry's cheek gently. "C'mon, honey... Let's get you to the hospital..."


	2. Chapter 2

A limo pulled to a stop just outside the hospital, and Filia stepped out, holding Harry tightly against her chest. She shot one last scowl at the restrained Petunia and slave trader before turning to the princess. "Thank you so much for the ride." She said gratefully. Parasoul nodded.

"You're very welcome, Filia. I'm proud of you for coming to this boy's aid. You've shown great resolve and maturity today. Please, call me if you need my help with anything at all." Grateful, Filia gave the princess a one-armed hug, which she readily returned.

"See you again soon, princess..." Filia said softly.

"Yes you will... Now, go and take care of your son." The princess said with a fond smile. Filia stepped back and closed the door, allowing the limo to drive away.

Smiling softly, Filia approached the hospital with a spring in her step. Perhaps it was odd to be happy about delivering a hurt child to the hospital... But she wasn't just delivering a hurt child. She was delivering her son. "It's okay honey, we're gonna get you all patched up, then I'm gonna take you home, and take SUCH good care of you!" The woman cooed. Right now, all she wanted to do was take her Harry home, swaddle him up in nice, warm, fluffy blankets, hold him close and protect him from everything. But the injuries came first.

Harry, meanwhile, was on cloud nine at the moment, his joy absolutely smothering him. His prayers had been answered... Miss Filia was going fo take him home... He was going to live with her...

Filia stopped at the door and sighed when she realized something. "Harry? This might be scary, you may have to talk about what happened to you but I promise, I'll be by your side the whole time." Harry looked up, a slight twang of fear in his eyes that broke Filia's heart. It was clear he didn't want to be here, but finally he spoke in a timid tone:

"Are...Are they gonna hurt me?"

Samson decided to speak up here. "The stuff doctors do might sting a bit sometimes, but it's always for a good reason." He explained. Filia nodded.

"That's right, baby... It might hurt for a little bit, but only because they want to help your owies go away. If we don't have those dealt with, they could get worse."

"M'kay..." Harry mumbled, clearly not too excited about it all. Filia sighed and kissed his forehead.

"I promise, once this is over, things are going to be so much better!" She cooed, resting Harry's head on her shoulder as she entered, making her way up to the receptionists' desk. When the woman at the desk looked up, her jaw practically slammed onto the counter.

"Uh, my little boy here needs some medical attention." Filia said awkwardly. "He's been hurt by bad people." The woman wasn't listening, because she was already in the process of notifying the doctor that a patient was here in a rather frantic tone.

Filia watched the woman panic with a small frown, then opted to take a seat in one of the waiting chairs, cuddling Harry gently. He looked scared. "It's okay, sweetheart, I'm here." She cooed. "The doctors are gonna make you feel ALL better!"

"I was told I couldn't come here. That I was too freaky to to come to a place where normal people went. That-" Filia placed a finger on his lips and shushed him gently.

"Your aunt was crazy, Harry... She was sick in the head... Hurting you like that... Telling you all those awful things... It's why the princess took her away, remember?"

Harry bit his lip before nodding his head slowly. "I...I guess so... But..." He said softly. "But it wasn't just her saying those mean things to me..."

"What, there were more assholes out there telling you that stupid freak crap? Who was it? I'll go ahead and tear 'em a new asshole for ya." Samson replied.

"Samson!" Filia scolded, before looking back to Harry and asking: "Who sweetie?"

"...Everyone..." Harry mumbled sadly, looking away.

"I don't think so." Filia said sweetly, kissing the top of his head. "Now, who was saying such mean things about you?"

"My family."

Filia blinked. "Oh... Did you have an uncle and cousin too?" She asked softly. Harry nodded his head slowly. "And they were mean to you like your aunt was?" He nodded again.

"M-My uncle used to be the one that beat me up all the time... And my cousin liked to beat me up too... But then me and my aunt got stuck here by accident..."

"Aw, honey..." Filia cooed, tightening her hold on him and stroking his back soothingly.

"She... She was worse than them, mommy... The things she did hurt even more... It hurt so much..." His voice quaked.

"It's okay... it's okay..." Filia whispered, rocking Harry back and forth in her arms. "You're safe now, I'm gonna take good care of you." Harry nuzzled closer to his mama's chest, cooing cutely as Filia ran her fingers through his hair, grimacing slightly as she noticed again how filthy it was. Poor baby... abused, living in filth...

"The first thing I'm going to do when we get home is give you a bath... If the hot water tank is still broken, I'll just take you to my friend Carol's place..."

"Yeah, probably gonna have to do that. The landlord said the stupid thing's gonna be out for a couple more days. But hey... You haven't checked on Carol yet this week, so I guess this is a good excuse." Samson said with a shrug.

"Is she nice?" Harry asked timidly, still uneasy about meeting new people. He was willing to meet her if she was a friend of Miss Filia, but what if she was just acting?

"She's very nice." Filia cooed, kissing Harry on the head. "She'll adore you, don't worry!" Harry gave a small smile and returned to simply enjoying his mother's embrace. They stayed like this for a few minutes more before a nurse walked up to them.

"All right, miss... The doctor will see you now." Filia smiled and rose to her feet, holding Harry close as she followed the woman into the room.

The doctor was an aging man, balding with white hair fringing the sides. He noticed them enter and nodded his head. "Hello there, young lady, what seems to be the problem?"

"Him." Filia said, looking down at Harry. "He's been extremely abused. I don't know what the long term damages are..."

"Oh... oh Lord." The doctor muttered, his eyes widening somewhat when he saw Harry. "Put him up here, I'll see what's happened." Filia nodded and gently set Harry up on the bench, sitting next to him in a chair and gently holding one of his hands.

He began to tremble slightly, and Filia kissed his cheek. "It's okay, baby, I'm right here. You're gonna be okay." She whispered in his ear. Harry whimpered and squeezed her hand, to which she responded by squeezing back and giving him a reassuring smile. Harry resolved himself to be strong for his mommy...The doctor approached with a small box of tools and began the check up.

Harry had to admit, it felt weird. He wasn't sure what to expect, but there was an odd sensation as the cool metal of the stethoscope was placed against his chest or as an odd cuff was placed around his arm. Actually, after awhile, things felt oddly calming. The metal was cool and didn't burn like all the other metal he was usually exposed to. It was clear the doctor wasn't going to hurt him, and he had Miss Filia next to him.

"Oi vey." The doctor sighed, shaking his head.

"What's wrong?!" Filia asked, fear clear in her tone.

"Well, there's some very good news, and some bad news." The doctor replied. "the good news is, well, he's healing at a somewhat accelerated rate."

"I'm sorry, what?" Filia spoke up, beyond confused at what had been said.

"His burns and cuts are healing faster than a regular human would." The doctor explained. "I don't know how, but thanks to it, it'll keep them from getting worse or infected, so we don't have to worry about that."

"Okay, what's the bad news?" Filia asked, not wanting to hear it.

"It's clear his body has been through years of abuse." The doctor answered solemnly. Even though Filia knew, it still broke her heart. "Several bones are cracked and are barely hanging on at this point, he's extremely malnourished, and he's clearly in a traumatized state. However, he will heal, that's what's important."

Filia bit her lip and hugged her son tightly against her bosom, running her fingers through his hair and kissing his cheek to offer her condolences. "My poor little baby... I can't believe they did this to you..." She said softly. Feeling him snuggle up closer, she teared up slightly, imagining them intentionally harming such a sweet boy...

"One more thing you should know..." The doctor said. "Due to the severe malnourishment he was put through... There's little to no chance the boy will ever grow to his full height..."

"Well... I guess you'll be tiny and cute forever then." Filia said with a forced smile, trying not to show her completely broken state in front of Harry. She didn't want to upset him more than he already was.

Harry tilted his head with a small frown, noticing that her cheerfulness seemed...forced. But he decided not to comment on it and nodded his tiny head. Filia leaned down and kissed his cheek before turning to the doctor. "So... Will that be all, sir?" She asked sadly. The old man nodded his head.

"Yes, aside from one thing... Do give that boy a bath... It's clear he hasn't had one in far too long." Filia nodded and hugged Harry tighter.

"My plan exactly."

"Well, that's all for now then, just... take care of him." The doctor said solemnly as Filia nodded, standing up and carrying Harry out of the hospital. She sighed and rubbed her boy's back, trying to comfort him in any way she could.

"Harry, do you wanna meet a friend of mine? She's really nice." Filia suddenly smiled.

Remembering Filia's plans to take him to her friend's house for a bath, the boy nodded his tiny head slowly. It wasn't that he didn't trust her... He was just shy. He remembered that Miss Filia's other friends were nice... Mr. Samson... Miss Parasoul... Um... Mr. Samson...? Okay, so he only had two examples... But he at least trusted her enough to be around her friends.

"Great. Let's you cleaned up then." Filia cooed, kissing his forehead as she continued towards her friends' apartment. Samson was just watching the two interact. He had his concerns about Filia being a mother, but after seeing what Harry went through, then nearly being sold into slavery, Samson really couldn't care less now. He just wanted to make sure the kid was okay.

Filia saw the apartment before her and stepped inside, holding Harry's head against her shoulder when she felt him tremble sligtly. She found Carol's room number and knocked slowly. "Um... Just a minute, please!" A soft, female voice sounded out from behind the door. The door opened, and there stood Carol. Despite healing remarkably well from her time as Painwheel, some scars would never go away.

"Oh, hi Filia!" Carol said with a smile, feeling more relaxed in the presence of her friend. "What's going..." she trailed off when she saw the tiny boy in her friend's arms. "...on?"

Harry squeaked shyly and tried to make himself smaller. Carol winced and traced the scar over her face. Filia shook her head. "No no, Carol, it's not that. He's just shy, that's all."

"H..Hello Miss... Carol..." Harry finally got out. Carol blinked, then her face softened as a wide grin came over her face.

"Aww, isn't he the cutest?" She cooed softly. "C'mon in!"

Filia smiled and accepted her best friend's offer. "Thank you, Carol. So, are you doing well? You haven't called me in a couple days. That's a record."

Carol smiled shyly and looked down. "Yes, I'm okay, Filia... Um... I haven't had any...episodes this week, and only a couple nightmares..." Filia nodded and took a seat next to her friend, taking one arm off Harry so she could pull Carol into an embrace. The brown haired girl hugged her best friend back, smiling softly.

Harry found himself held between the two women, but it was oddly comfy, so he gave a tiny coo and leaned into his mommy's embrace. Both girls noticed and their hearts melted at the sight.

"Um... Filia? Who is this little guy?" Carol asked curiously, tentatively reaching out to pat his head. "Oh...Wow, his hair's pretty grimy, isn't it...?"

"Yeah..." Filia admitted. "Um... Carol... I'd like you to meet my uh...my son." Carol looked at her in surprise, then looked back at Harry, head tilted.

"Oh..." She blushed slightly. "Um... Adopted, right...?" Filia blinked, then nodded her head in affirmation. "Aww... That's really sweet of you, Filia..."

Harry let a tiny smile form on his face as Carol gave his cheek a tiny pinch. "Listen, I can answer your questions later, but is your water heater working? I haven't been able to clean him up yet... Mine's broken so I can't bathe him."

"Oh, yes! Of course!" Carol replied realizing what Filia was asking. "C'mon, I'll dig out some old sweaters to cover him with for later."

"Aww, thank you, Carol." Filia said with a small smile, following after her friend and hugging Harry close. The group walked in silence for a few moments.

"The bathroom is right over there... I'm just gonna find the sweaters, okay?" Carol said before entering her bedroom. Filia nodded her head and entered the washroom.

"Okay, honey... We're finally gonna get you washed up now, okay?" Harry nodded shyly. Filia ran the water, making sure it was set to a nice temperature, before removing Harry's shirt, wincing at the horrible injuries.

"Holy crap..." Samson muttered, looking at the scars and injuries on Harry's body. He wasn't phased by much, but this was just... wrong. Thankfully, the kid's aunt was heading to prison, and if she was lucky, she'd last two or three days before getting shanked and left to bleed out. One thing he knew about prisons that almost seemed universal, was those that hurt kids didn't have much time left.

Filia sighed and gently set Harry into the water. The tiny boy gave an 'Eep!', memories of hot and cold rushing back, but this water was warm. It felt nice.

He relaxed slightly into the water, still very slightly on edge as if expecting it to start boiling at any moment. Filia smiled and grabbed the shampoo off the tub. She poured it on her hands and gently began rubbing it onto the boy's scalp, firmly enough to make sure she got the dirt and grime, but gently enough that she didn't harm him. "Okay, sweetheart, close your eyes nice and tight... That's it..." Filia grabbed the detachable showerhead. "Now lean your head back juuust a little bit..." Harry obeyed, and Filia carefully rinsed the shampoo out of his hair.

This was an odd feeling for Harry. He felt like not only was his filth being cleaned away, but his fears as well. He realized that he wasn't dreaming, Miss Filia was going to keep him safe. She would love him.

He almost cried again, but he managed to snuff out that desire fairly quickly. He was happy. There was really no reason to cry. He just let his new mother clean him off with a content smile. Filia scrubbed down his tiny, frail body with a soapy loofah, wincing at the shade of brownish red the water took as she did so, then, when satisfied, gently pulled him out and wrapped him up in a towel to dry him off. "There you go, honey... Do you feel better, now that we've got all that yuck off of you?" Harry nodded his head and snuggled in closer to her. "Aww... I love you, sweetheart..."

Harry was happier than he had ever been before. He was clean, being hugged by his mommy, safe from his abusive relatives... Filia kissed him on the forehead as she carried him back to the main room. She seated herself on her friends' couch and waited her her to return, happy to rock Harry back and forth in her arms.

Harry closed his eyes in content and nuzzled in closer to her tummy, smiling adorably. Filia kissed his cheek. "Take a nap, honey... You've had a very hard day."

"Okay, mommy... Thank you..." Harry slowly drifted off to sleep in his adoptec mother's arms. "I love you, mommy..."

Filia teared up and gave him a tender smile. "I love you too, baby..." She whispered quietly, smiling as Harry quickly dropped off to sleep.

"That's so precious!" Filia looked behind her and saw Carol with a massive grin on her face. She made her way over and set the sweaters on the coffee table and sat next to Filia. "He's so cute!"

Filia smiled softly at her friend, tears forming in her eyes. "Yes... He really is... I love him with all my heart... Everyone should love him..." Her voice trailed off slightly.

"Um... Filia...? Is something wrong? How come you're crying?" Carol asked in concern. Filia hadn't even noticed. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she took a deep breath.

"Harry... Harry had a hard time before I found him... He was being...horribly abused, in ways you wouldn't believe... No one... No one ever loved him before..." She heard a loud cracking noise that made her jump slightly, and she looked over to see Carol squeezing the arm of her chair, scowling furiously.

"I...I... who did this?" She finally asked, anger clear in her tone.

"Whoa, calm down wheels." Samson said, suddenly speaking up. "The kid's aunt is headed to prison and hopefully an early grave."

"That's good." Carol sighed, then paused. "What's wrong? It seems like there's something else."

Filia tightened her hold on the boy. "My... My 'family', and I use that term VERY loosely... They tried to sell him out for slavery..." Carol's red eyes began to glow.

"What... The... F*ck." Filia winced ever so slightly. Carol had cursed like a drunken sailor back when those parasites were still attached to her, but otherwise, she almost never cursed. To hear Carol curse was a sign of pure, unadulterated rage.

Filia blinked in shock, unsure of how to react. She tried to form some sort of response, but couldn't. She wasn't sure why, but she gently put Harry into Carol's arms, causing him to cuddle in closer. Almost immediately, not only did Carol's fury subside, but she seemed to become much like Filia. "Oohhh... I just love him! He's so widdle and sweet!"

Filia smiled sadly as she watched her friend interact with her adopted son. It was actually quite easy to see the similarities between the two... They were both shy, both quiet, both just the sweetest thing you'll ever meet... And they had both suffered in horrible, cruel and unfair ways. They both suffered constant, pitiful agony from their abusers. They both wound up hated and rejected by those who were supposed to cherish them most... Their own family...

Carol leaned down and gently kissed Harry's forehead before hugging him close again. Carol seemed extremely happy to be holding Harry. He seemed to have that effect on some people. He was just able to make them happy. It was sweet.

She watched them interact for a few more minutes before Carol decided to hand him back to Filia, who took him with a warm smile, kissing the tip of his nose gently. "Don't worry about Harry, Carol... He's gonna be just fine. I'm gonna take good care of him... Just the way it should have been all along."

"I know you will, Filia." Carol said with a sad smile. "So um... How did you two meet, if you don't mind me asking...?" Smiling softly, Filia told the whole story.

By the time she had finished, Carol was furious once again, but also crying. Filia wasn't sure what she could do now. If anyone with a heart heard her son's story, it would drive them to tears. Harry began squirming slightly as he began to awake from his nap. "Mama? Why are you crying?" He mumbled.

Filia hugged him close to her shoulder and rubbed his back gently. "You're just...so cute." She said softly, not wanting to tell him the true reason.

"Oh... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you sad... I'll try to stop, I promise...", Filia giggled through her tears and shook her head.

"No, Harry... Don't stop... Never stop..." She cooed softly.

"Why is he so precious..." Carlo said in a mock-whine tone. Harry blushed and tried to hide himself in the towel, which only made Carol give another 'Aww...' Filia smiled and handed Harry back over to Carol. The tiny boy was a bit apprehensive at first, but relaxed when Carol rested his head against her tummy.

The boy felt content... He was meeting people that helped him... People that wanted to hold him... It wasn't just his mother... The pretty redheaded lady... Miss Carol... Mister Samson... Was it possible that he wasn't as worthless as his relatives always said he was? Could it be that he could be happy? Was he worthy of having a good life...?

Filia seemed to sense what he was thinking and kissed him again. "You deserve this life, honey. You deserve all the love and kisses!" Filia cooed motherly. Harry looked up in shock, then smiled.

He snuggled in closer to Carol and decided to enjoy her embrace. She held him nice and called him cute like his mommy, so he decided he liked her. Carol looked down at him and began to tear up slightly. This happened every time she made a new friend, even before being turned into Painwheel... Being accepted and liked was always a wonderful feeling for her, especially after the constant bullying and scorn she was treated with from her peers.

Well, the fact that she was holding the cutest little thing she had ever seen certainly helped. Carol sighed contently, letting the harsh memories slip away as she focused on Harry. "So, how old are you sweetie?" She asked playfully.

"Uh, I'm five miss Carol." Harry replied, having to think about his age for a moment.

"Five, huh?" Carol smiled, but internally she was shocked. "Well, you're getting to be a big guy, aren'tcha?" Filia bit her lip when she remembered what the doctor had told her, but decided not to bring it up now.

Harry responded by shaking his head. "I'm...I'm small... I'm way smaller than my cousin and all his friends... I'm stuck being small forever..." Well, so much for not bringing it up.

"Oh, well... you're still adorably precious!" Carol cooed, hugging Harry close again. "And you'll always be a little cuddle muffin!" Filia couldn't help put let a slight laugh out. Her friend seemed to be making the best out of a bad situation, and truth be told? She didn't mind. Sure, it was sad it was the way it was, but Harry seemed perfectly happy so long as Filia was around, and Filia didn't plan on letting him out of her sight.

Carol held Harry for close to an hour before handing him back to Filia, who took him with a bright smile. "Um... So... Do you wanna stay for dinner? I was gonna order pizza..."

"Yeah, sounds good!" Filia said with a nod and a smile. Smiling, Carol stood up and went to grab the phone, leaving Filia alone with her son once more.

"Miss Carol's nice." Harry said, somewhat timidly and Filia grinned widely.

"Aww, she likes you too baby." Filia smiled, hugging Harry close, making the boy smile.

"Euch... Gag me..." Samson muttered, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry, weren't you the one ready to kill to help Harry?" Filia asked sarcastically. Samson took a breath then paused.

"Huh, well look at the time! Call me when the food's here!" The parasite said before disappearing into her hair again.

Filia rolled her eyes in exasperation before turning her attention back to her son. She hugged him tight and whispered words of comfort and love into his ears, wanting to ensure he knew she loved him. Harry nestled closer into Filia's embrace and closed his eyes. He felt his eyes growing heavier by the second... "M-Mommy...?" He said softly. "I'm still tired..."

"That's fine, why don't you take a nap until dinner time?" Filia smiled.

"Is... is that okay?" Harry timidly asked, looking up at Filia. The young woman realized that he was asking this because he was probably never allowed to sleep under conditions like this.

"Mm-hmm." The woman nodded. "Sleep honey, you need it."

He hesitated for a moment more before slowly, carefully snuggling in closer to her. He rested his head against her chest, and the soothing sound of her beating heart lulled him to sleep. Filia gazed fondly at her sleeping child and kissed his head, a far more pleasant act now that all the grease and grime in his hair was gone.

"Sleep well, sweetie..." She whispered into his ear. Harry cooed quietly and nuzzled closer to Filia. The young woman simply sat where she was, happily holding her clean son close, still wrapped up in a towel, sleeping peacefully for one of the first times in his life. It reminded her of when he stayed with her just a day or two ago... If only she had acted sooner!

She inwardly cursed herself for her shortsightedness. She felt so stupid, so ignorant, so USELESS for not catching on sooner. She could have prevented so much had she just caught on... Honestly, she didn't expect to stop beating herself up about it for a VERY long time... She felt barely better than the ones that had harmed him... Her failure to recognize signs allowed it to continue.

Still... she had done everything she could. He was hers now. Nothing could change that. She'd just have to give him love and affection at every chance she got! She'd make sure he'd never have to look back on his old life,..

Rocking him back and forth, she smiled warmly and kissed his forehead. "I love you." She whispered softly in his ear, causing him to coo and nestle up.

Carol stepped back into the room, and took a seat on the chair across from Filia. "Okay... Um... It's coming. And um... I also baked some cookies we can eat for dessert... I got Samson his own pizza because...y'know... he loves his food..."

"Woo!" Samson cheered.

"Samson! Harry's sleeping!" Filia hissed, quickly looking back down and sighing in relief when she saw Harry was still fast asleep in her arms.

"He's so cute when he sleeps..." Carol cooed.

Filia giggled softly and nodded her head. "Yeah... He really is..." She said fondly. "It's always so amazing to have him sleep in my arms..." The two girls sat in silence, observing Harry's peaceful slumber. Filia rested her cheek atop his head, closing her eyes in content. Her life was truly back on track since her time on the streets.

Honestly she hadn't expected that part of being 'Back on Track' involved adopting a child. But hey, whatever helped. The two remained where the were for about thirty minutes until the doorbell rang. Carol got up to get the pizza and Filia began gently waking Harry up from his nap. "Harry, sweetie... It's dinner time." Filia cooed.

Harry let out a tiny whine as he woke and Filia giggled. "Aww, don't worry, sweetie, you can go back to sleep right after we finish eating." She assured him softly. Harry yawned and sat straight, trying as hard as he could to get himself awake and ready to eat. The tired feeling was quite stubborn...

His half-awake face was probably the cutest thing Filia had ever seen, and she had to hold a loud squee of delight that would terrify Harry. Even as he tried to pull himself out of his slumber, he did seem to gain a little bit of energy as he smelled the pizza.

"Whazat?" He mumbled.

'Ohmygoshhessoprecious!' Filia mentally cheered.

"That's dinner, sweetie." Filia finally said after collecting herself. Harry nodded his head in understanding. "Auntie Carol bought it for us!" Filia said with a large smile. Carol let out a soft squeak, but a smile spread acros her face.

"Thank you, auntie Carol." Harry said, giving her a tired smile. Carol smiled and teared up ever so slightly. He called her auntie... He was her nephew... She was part of a family again...

Without warning, Carol gently took Harry from Filia, earning an annoyed 'Hey...' from her friend, Carol didn't care though, she was too busy holding her nephew close, feeling happier than she had in a long time.

"Auntie Carol... you're crying!" Harry whimpered afraid he had done something wrong. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you!"

Carol tightened her hold on Harry and shook her head side to side. "No, Harry... I just... I'm...happy... So happy... I... You're... I'm part of a family..."

"The hell are you talking about? You've been a part of a family for like, two years now." Samson said gruffly. Carol looked at him, her breath hitching. Filia smiled.

"Hey... Mind if I get in on the hug... sis?" Filia asked softly.

Carol smiled as Filia hugged her friend, leaving Harry in-between the two women. He was warm and cozy, held between the two kindest women he had ever met. He was content, loved and happy. Filia smiled down at her son and kissed his forehead. She was so happy to see her son this happy. "Well, let's eat." Carol said, to Filia's annoyance, still holding Harry.

Carol sheepishly gave him back, and Filia smiled softly. "Hell yeah, Carol's got the right idea! Time for grub!" Samson exclaimed enthusiastically. Filia giggled. There they all were... A family of four... Having dinner together... She carried Harry to the table, then moved to set him down, before changing her mind and keeping him in her embrace.

She had a feeling Carol might try and steal him again, and she wanted to feed Harry, Carol could wait her turn. Sitting with her son on her lap, she picked up a slice of cheese pizza and held it up to Harry, who seemed to be looking at it with wonder.

"You hungry, little guy?" Filia asked playfully.

Harry nodded his head slowly, and Filia held the slice of pizza to his mouth, allowing him to bite off a portion, which he chewed slowly. "Yummy..." He said softly.

Filia giggled and nodded her head."Yeah, it really is, huh?" She took a bite of her own pizza, hearing the sounds of Samson messily devouring his.

"Yeah, nothing beats a good old pizza!" The parasite affirmed with his mouth full.

"It's really good!" Harry said, his eyes wide and happy with his meal. Filia smiled happily and kept feeding him his pizza. He remained quiet, but it was clear he was happy.

The group ate their meal in silence, Carol insisting that Harry ate until he was full. Filia put a stop to it after three slices, as she didn't want Harry to get a tummy ache. The group sat in content at the dinner table, no one entirely sure what to say, but all content with each other's presence.

Harry happily leaned against his mother, smiling contently as she gently rubbed his back. "Don't fall asleep just yet, cutie." Filia said playfully. "We haven't even had dessert yet."

Indeed, Carol was bringing in a tray full of cookies, various different types mixed into the batch. Samson perked up at the word 'dessert'. "Not too much, Samson. Save some for everyone else too." Filia said sternly. Samson grumbled slightly, but nodded his head in affirmation.

Carol sat next to Filia now, holding up a cookie to Harry and grinning widely. "Open up, sweetie!" She cooed. Harry giggled slightly and did as he was told, letting Carol feed him dessert. Filia observed this with a fond smile, glad the two of them took to each other so well.

After a few cookies, Harry seemed full and his eyes began closing again. "Aww, I think it's nap time for my widdle baby." Filia cooed playfully. "Hey, Carol. Is it okay if he sleeps on the couch?"

"The couch?! Forget it!" Carol immediately replied. "He can sleep in the guest room, the bed's all made up and everything."

Filia smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Carol." She rose to her feet, cradling Harry like a baby in her arms. Rocking him back and forth gently, she leaned down and kissed his forehead. Carol stood right after her, and led the way to the guest room. The bed was decently sized... The princess had been very helpful to Carol as well as her. Honestly, Parasoul had essentially become like the mother both of them had lost...

Heck, she even seemed somewhat motherly or grandmotherly to Harry. Filia felt tears in her eyes when she remembered what had happened earlier... Tucking Harry into bed, Filia took a seat at the end of the bed, having a bad feeling that Harry wasn't going to be able to just sleep peacefully on his own after all that had happened.

Approaching her son slowly, Filia leaned down, planted a soft, loving kiss on both cheeks and squeezed his hand. "Just go to sleep now, baby..."

"M...Mama...? You're... You're still gonna be here when I wake up...right...?"

"Of course baby, nothing could keep me away." She cooed playfully, running her fingers through her son's hair. "Now get some rest, honey you've had a big day."

"Okay mommy..." Harry mumbled, turning over slightly in his sleep. Within a few minutes, his tiny snoring could be heard, and Filia knew he was fast asleep.

Kissing his temple, the young woman rose to her feet and quietly tiptoed out of the room, smiling at the sounds of Harry's soft, contented snores. Carol waited for her outside the room, hands clasped together. "Um... Is he gonna have nightmares later...?"

"...Yes... Most likely..." Filia affirmed.

Carol teared up slightly before donning a bright smile. "Then we'll stay with him and be ready for it. Poor little thing..." She said, pulling up one of the chairs she kept in the room and taking a seat, looking vigilantly over Harry.

Filia blinked, then gave her friend a bright smile. "Good idea, Carol... Thank you." She agreed, taking another chair for herself. The two girls sat in silence, watching the little boy sleeping soundly, his tiny body rising and falling with each breath as he curled in on himself slightly.

"He's so precious... how could someone hurt someone so sweet?" Carol sighed quietly, smiling down at the tiny sleeping boy.

"I don't know..." Filia shook her head sadly. "But I promise, I'll never let anyone ever even try and hurt him. He's been through so much, and he's done nothing wrong. I don't know why what happened happened, but I'll never let it happen again."

The two girls smiled softly. "So um... Is school going all right? I haven't had the chance to ask lately..." Filia blinked, then nodded her head.

"Yeah, school's going pretty well for me. How about you? Are the night classes working out okay?" Carol beamed and nodded her head. The two girls spent two hours enjoying each other's company, just happily chatting about whatever topics came to mind. Movies, books, their futures, anything.

It felt good for the two to finally reconnect. It had been awhile since they were finally able to just catch up. It was what Filia and Carol had been hoping for. Aside from Filia now being a mother, things were mostly back to normal.

Carol had missed the times like this... Times when she could just talk to her best friend like a normal woman... They had seen each other frequently, but Carol's shyness and Filia's amnesia had made it a bit difficult to really connect like they had before.

The women continued to chat, until they noticed the telltale signs of Harry suffering from a nightmare. First, he began to twitch and whimper... Then, he started to thrash and scream.

"NO PLEASE DON'T, IT HURTS! NOT THE STUFF UNDER THE SINK, PLEASE... NO! NO, I DON'T WANNA, I DON'T WANNA! MOMMY! MOMMY, HELP!"

In milliseconds, Filia had snatched Harry up and was holding him close to her chest. "Harry! Harry, wake up!" She exclaimed. "It's okay! I'm here!" Harry woke up with a shock, still thrashing around for a few moments, then he realized who was holding him.

"Mama?"

Filia hugged him tightly against her shoulder and rubbed circles on his back soothingly. "Yes, sweetie pie... Mama's here... It was all just a dream..." Harry whimpered and buried his face into her shoulder, letting out a small series of sobs. It was nowhere near as heartwrenching as his sobbing earlier that day... but it still devastated Filia to listen to it. After he had cried himself out, Filia gently patted his back. Carol looked on with a teary expression, upset that Harry was suffering. Filia kissed her son's cheeks and pressed her forehead against his. "Now... Why don't you tell mommy all about it, honey?"

"Um... my... my aunt... she... she was hitting me... and... and then she made me drink something... and it burned... it burned so bad... and she wouldn't stop..."

Filia tightened her hold on him and shushed him gently, rocking him back and forth. "It's okay, honey... That evil woman is gone now... Out of your life..."

"Still say the princess should have let me eat her." Samson said. "Would have eaten her from the feet up, like a hamster. Heh... Would have been hilarious. Just imagine her screams..."

"That's awful, Samson..." Carol said. "...You forgot about the part where you peel off the skin first." Filia and Samson looked at Carol in surprise. "Oh... I forgot Filia can't stomach horror..."

"Ew ew ew, skin should never be off the body, so gross, so gross, why would you say that..." Filia rambled, tightening her hold on Harry. Her rambling stopped when Harry tried to hug her.

Filia kissed his head and rested her cheek on the top of his head. "D'you feel better, Harry?" She asked gently. Harry sniffled and shook his head.

"M-Mommy... I'm scared to go back to sleep..." He said softly. "I...I don't wanna have a scary dream again... I...I..." Filia shushed him by putting a finger to his mouth.

"It's okay, sweetheart. It's me and Miss Carol's weekend. Why don't we go downstairs and watch a movie, does that sound good?" She asked gently.

"Yes please..." Harry mumbled. "Thank you miss Carol..."

"It's okay precious." Carol smiled gently patting Harry's tiny head. "We'll keep you safe. We promise."

"Thank you." Harry said, looking up at Carol with his large emerald eyes.

Carol smiled. "You're welcome, Harry..." Filia smiled gratefully at her best friend and carried her son downstairs, Carol following close behind. Samson was throwing out movie suggestions.

"Samson, we are not watching Puzzle! Harry just woke up from a nightmare, do you want to give him another one? We are watching a family friendly movie, and that is that!"

"Tch... Fine, be a lameass. But when the kid gets older, you better bet I'm getting him into the good stuff! Oh man, wait'll ya see The Glob!"

"Eeewww, Samson! That movie made me puke so much! It's disgusting!"

"I know. and it's AWESOME." Samson cheekily added.

"Look, how about we watch something like that tootooroo film?" Carol suggested.

"Yes, thank you Carol!" Filia sighed exasperated.

"Do NOT show him the Firefly one. If you don't wanna traumatize him, just skip that one." Samson added.

Carol sniffled and teared up. "That...horrible firefly movie... It just wasn't fair... Why'd those poor kids have to..." She buried her face into her hands and sobbed. After calming Carol down, Filia picked out the movie and set it in as Carol made a snack in the kitchen. Filia bundled Harry up in a blanket to ensure he was comfy and held him close.

"Comfy?" She asked with a motherly tone, smiling down at the boy snuggled in her arms.

"Yes mommy." Harry nodded timidly, beyond happy at his current condition. Filia smiled and kissed his nose before pulling him closer. Carol returned a few moments later with a snack and put the movie into the player and sat down next to Filia, placing a hand on Harry in a loving gesture.

Harry smiled in contentment. He had his mommy, his auntie, Mr. Samson, a warm blankie, some yummy food, and a movie... all without having to worry about going back to his aunt Petunia. His good mood wavered slightly at the memory of her, but he pushed them away. She was gone... He had a real mommy now... No more Petunia...

Harry let himself be held by both girls, happily snuggled into a warm embrace by his mommy and his aunt Carol. The two women seemed to notice this and wrapped an arm around him each. Harry was warm, fed, loved... This truly was perfect! 'I hate that this seems like perfection to the poor thing...' Filia thought. 'This should be the standard, not the dream...' She gained a determined smile. 'I'll just have to make it the standard then. I'll help him get used to love... Soon he'll understand that he's worth having as a son!' The group watched the film in relative silence, and when it ended, Filia heard light snoring coming from her arms. Looking down, she saw Harry was fast asleep.

"Heh, looks like he's comfy." Filia smiled, patting her son's head.

"Aw, he's so adorable;e when he sleeps..." Carol cooed. "He's like a little angel!"

"Like? What do you mean by like?" Filia asked skeptically. "He IS a little angel!"

Carol giggled. "Yeah... I guess I can't argue with that..." She looked at the clock. "It is getting pretty late... Um... Would you and Harry like to spend the night in my guest room...?"

"Aww, thank you, Carol." Filia said gratefully. "We'd love to. See you in the morning." Rising to her feet, she walked up to her friend's guest room, rocking her son back and forth to try and keep the nightmares at bay.

She smiled as Harry seemed to turn slightly in his sleep, just getting comfortable. Filia gently rubbed his back to soothe him as he slept, and it seemed to work. Harry was now fast asleep and seemingly very calm. That made Filia smile.

She carefully climbed into the bed and held him close, giving him another kiss on the tip of his nose that made him coo cutely in his sleep. She heard the loud sound of Samson's snoring and giggled softly. Now both of her boys were dead asleep, after a long, hard and stressful leaned forward to Harry's ear. "I love you." She whispered into it very gently.

Harry mumbled something in his sleep, something that sounded like "I love you mommy." Filia pulled him closer before letting herself drift off to sleep, happily smiling at the tiny boy in her arms who now felt safe and warm.


	3. Chapter 3

Filia yawned softly as the morning sun flowed into her eyes. Sitting up and stretching, she looked around at her surroundings, remembering the events of last night. Looking down to her left, she smiled when she saw one very happy sleeping little boy cuddled up against her side, innocently suckling on his thumb.

Filia did everything she could to surppress the squeal of delight at how cute her son looked, so she settled on pulling him close to her chest and laying back down on the bed, letting Harry snuggle up to his mother's warm embrace. Filia sighed contently and rocked him slightly to keep him comfortable.

It was kind of surreal, in a way... Her, a mother... It was like a dream... A beautiful, warm, loving dream... But it was very much real, and that made it all the more delightful. She felt him stirring in her arms and smiled as she watched him wake up. He looked around, mumbling in confusion, before remembering where he was. "M...Mama...?" He said softly, looking up at Filia, who giggled and gave him a peck on the cheek, causing him to smile and let out a coo of happiness.

"Hi baby, did you have a good sleep?" She cooed.

"Mmhmm." Harry sleepily nodded. "I didn't have any bad dreams..."

"That's lovely." Filia said, pulling Harry close again and kissing him on the top of his head, happy to remain here with her son.

She then smelled a delicious fragrance that could only be her best friends' cooking. She smiled as she tightened her hold on her little boy. "Auntie Carol's making breakfast, honey... Why don't we go downstairs and eat?" She rose to her feet and hugged Harry against her shoulder.

"Mmkay mama..." Harry mumbled into her shoulder. Smiling, Filia kissed his cheek and made her way downstairs to find her best friend cooking.

"Oh, good to see you two are up." Carol smiled as she saw her friend walk in. "Did he sleep better?"

"This time he didn't have any nightmares, so that was a plus." Filia replied, still rubbing her sleepy son's back affectionately. Harry slowly looked up and gave a hazy wave to Carol.

"Morning auntie Carol..." He said softly, making his new aunt giggle softly.

"Good morning, Harry... I'm making pancakes... Is everyone okay with that...? I added chocolate chips..."

"Anyone that's not okay with that is an idiot!" Samson exclaimed.

"What are pancakes?" Harry asked, rubbing some sleep from his eyes. Filia, Carol and Samson all looked at Harry in surprise, before Filia finally spoke.

"You'll see soon!" She smiled, setting her son down in a seat.

The boy sat straight as he could and tried to wake up completely, the stubborn feelings of sleepiness not quite ready to leave yet. He sat quietly and waited for the food. Filia decided to help her best friend prepare the meal, and soon enough, the two women were setting the pancakes onto four plates, Samson's plate notably taller than the others.

Harry looked at the pancakes, then up at Filia who began cutting his, and then held up a forkful of food for him. "Alright sweetie, breakfast tine!" She sing-songed to the tiny boy, who opened obediently and was fed a forkful of chocolatey goodness. His eyes (still somewhat heavy) did seem to light up as he tasted the food.

Giggling, Filia helped herself to some of her own pancakes, then fed Harry some more of his, alternating back and forth between the two. Samson had swallowed his plate of pancakes whole, and Filia groaned as she felt syrup running down her back. "Samson..." She moaned.

"What? They're good." The parasite responded indifferently. "Besides, the kid's face is covered in syrup and I don't see you complaining about that." Filia blinked, then looked over to Harry, seeing that his face was covered in syrup and melted chocolate.

She frowned, then grabbed the boy's napkin and gently dabbed at his face with it, cleaning off the sticky mess. "There... Much better." She pulled away, smiling.

"Sorry, mama..." Harry said, visibly flinching. Concerned, Filia pulled him into her arms and cuddled him close to her breasts, gently rocking him back and forth.

"Oh, honey... It's okay... Please, don't be scared. I'm not mad at all. I'd never treat you as awfully as that WOMAN did...

"Thank you..." Harry said looking up at his mama. Filia smiled and rubbed his head before getting another forkful of food for her son. Smiling, she continued feeding her son breakfast, Harry was happy leaning into Filia's embrace as she fed him a warm meal.

"Daw, you're too precious!" Filia cooed playfully.

Soon enough, both were finished eating. Carol was watching the scene before her with a warm smile on her face. They were just so cute when they interacted... After finishing her own meal, Carol smiled at Filia. "Um... Filia, don't you think it's time you got Harry situated in his new home? And maybe get him some new clothes while you're at it?"

Filia perked up and smiled warmly at that. "Yeah, that's a great idea, Carol! Thank you." She hugged her friend. "We'll come back to visit very soon, okay?"

"I look forward to it." She replied, hugging her friend back. When they released one another, she bent down and gave Harry a quick kiss on the cheek. "And I look forward to seeing you again sweetie." Harry blushed at the kiss but looked up at Carol regardless.

"Bye Auntie Carol." He said, his tone a bit more childlike and less petrified. "It was nice meeting you."

Carol smiled and waved them off. Filia waved back, then looked down at Harry. "Well, looks like we're gonna be doing a little bit of shopping, sweetie."

"Good thing the princess is so generous with the allowance she gives ya, huh?" Samson chipped in.

"Don't call it an allowance, that makes it sound like I'm a child! It's... helping money."

"Eh, same difference." Samson replied to the annoyance of Filia. She swore, sometimes with him he just... Filia shook her head and turned her attention back to her son, who seemed completely content to be spending time with her, it was a precious sight really. He was still far, far, FAR too skinny, but at least when he had some actual clothes on his frail frame he'd seem less broken...

She tightened her hold on him and kissed his head gently. "We're gonna get you some real clothes, and then we're gonna throw those dirty rags away." Harry snuggled in closer and looked up at her with a happy smile, causing her to giggle and kiss his nose, much to his absolute joy and delight.

It took a few minutes of walking, but eventually they came to a small clothing store. Filia had been in here a few times and figured this would be a good place to start. Walking down one of the few isles, she looked over the different options for Harry, making a mental note of what he'd need for each season.

She carefully picked out what she deemed to be a reasonable number of clothes, from shirts to pants to coats to shoes to pajamas. Then, they made their way to the changing room."Oh boy, we're gonna be here a while, aren't we?" Samson groaned. Filia frowned and pulled at him lightly as a method of scolding him.

"He needs clothes, Samson. And I'm not buying anything unless I know it fits him. And besides, I picked out so many adorable little outfits for him." She said this last part with clasped hands and starry eyes.

"Aye..." The parasite groaned, rolling his eyes. Filia set Harry down on the small bench inside the room and set some of the clothes down next to him.

"Alright cutie, if you need help getting changed just let me know, I'll be right outside." She said sweetly, running a hand through her son's hair. Harry looked up and nodded.

"Okay mama." He said.

He grabbed a handful of clothes and went into the changing room. Filia took a seat, watching the curtain with a warm smile and waiting for him to step out. Finally, he emerged wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She smiled widely. "Aww, how handsome." She cooed.

Harry blushed and looked away, never having been called that before. Filia giggled when she saw him try to hide his embarrassment, which only made him seem cuter to the girl. He went back in and tried on the second outfit, walking back out and looking up at Filia with a tilted head, as if wordlessly asking her opinion.

Filia smiled warmly and gave a thumbs up. "They're perfect. Just perfect." She calmly went through all the clothes with him, and each set of clothing was a great fit. Finally, they got to the part she'd been most excited for... Pajamas. She couldn't wait to see how cute he looked in the pajamas she picked out. The boy then stepped out wearing a tiny pair of blue footed pajamas, with padding inside to give that cuddly plush effect. The second she saw him in those pajamas, her eyes immediately turned into heart shapes.

Before Harry could speak, Filia snatched him up and began relentlessly cuddling him, cooing over how cute he looked and covering his bewildered face in kisses. Harry was shocked for a minute, but then smiled and relaxed when he realized his mother was just happy. "You're so adorable~!" Filia cooed. She nuzzled his cheek gently. "Oh my gosh these pajamas are amazing... They make you feel so soft and cuddly... You're like a cute little living teddy bear!"

"Like a teddy...?" Harry said softly. Filia kissed his face with a bright laugh.

"Like a teddy but much better!" Filia giggled, kissing his face another time. "You're just so precious and kissable!" Harry smiled, blushing but not trying to hide it this time. He loved hearing kind words from his mama. He knew she was telling the truth when she said them. She was kind. She loved him.

He almost teared up again at this knowledge, but managed to hold strong as she set him down, resting her hands on her knees. "Now go and try on the rest of the jammies, okay?"

"Okay, mommy." Harry nodded and went back into the changing room. Filia giggled and felt delighted at tbe word 'mommy'. She loved hearing that beautiful word from him...

Over the next twenty minutes, Harry went back and forth trying on the different outfits, and subsequently being hugged and kissed by her whenever he came out wearing something especially cute.

Eventually, much to Samson's relief, they paid for the clothes Filia had picked out and left the store to make the trip back home. Right now, Filia just wanted to go back to her apartment, make some snacks, swaddle Harry up in some nice, warm blankets and protect him from everything.

Harry didn't care what was going on, he was spending time with his mama, and that was all that mattered to him. She was so warm, and she gave him hugs... he just loved her! He wished there was someway he could show Filia how much he loved her... He'd have to think of something extra special!

Maybe he'd make her a drawing like he'd seen Dudley do... He didn't have any crayons, but maybe Miss Filia would let him use a pencil or a pen. Filia hummed quietly to her son as she carried him back home, Samson [very grumpily] holding the bags. Filia was excited to show Harry the little extra surprise she had picked up for him... A small handful of plush toys. Her plan was to get him home, change him into the cute blue footie pajamas, give him one of the plushies to cuddle, wrap him in blankets and spend the day cuddling him on the couch in front of the TV.

"Oh thank you merciful lord..." Samson grumbled as he was able to set the bags down in the small apartment. "Hey Filia, we got anything to eat?"

"Oh, right." The woman realized, before smiling down at Harry. "Sweetie? Can you go change into those clothes while I make a snack for us?"

"Okay mommy." Harry nodded.

He took the bag containing the pajamas and rushed into the washroom to change into the ones he knew his mama liked best. She smiled after him, then went into the kitchen. She tried to make cheese and crackers, but Samson ate all of it. She tried apples and peanut butter, but Samson ate all of it. She tried the leftover brownies, but Samson ate them. Angry, she punched herself in the back of the head three times and violently yanked at him, causing him to protest loudly. "Just for that, you're not getting ANY popcorn, you jerk!"

"Oh c'mon!" Samson growled. "You know how much I have to eat! It's not my fault you're so obsessed with unhealthy and unnatural beauty standards!"

"Samson, if you were human, you'd understand." Filia replied, her tone conveying great annoyance. Which wasn't helped by Samson suddenly appearing in front of her face.

"But I'm not. So I don't have to." He said cooly before giving an obnoxiously huge grin.

"Buzz cut." Filia said flatly. Samson's grin vanished and he returned to his post atop her head with a grumble of annoyance, causing a smirk to appear on Filia's face. She prepared the popcorn, and when she heard little footsteps, she turned with a smile, delighted to see her son in his new pajamas. She picked him up and kissed his cheek before nuzzling his cheek. "There's mommy's sweet little baby boy..." She cooed. "Oh! And mama has a surprise for you~!" She reached into the bag containing the plush toys.

Harry's eyed widened in shock as she took out a stuffed panda and gently gave it to her son. "Is... is this for me?" He asked quietly, amazed that someone would do something like this for him.

"Mmhmm." Filia grinned. "It's yours love, you deserve it."

Harry looked at the stuffed toy with wide eyes, then back at his adopted mother. Then, he pulled the stuffed toy close and hugged it tightly against his chest. He loved it. It was soft and felt really nice to cuddle. Hugging it closer, he nuzzled it with a big smile on his face, relishing in its soft plush fur. Filia giggled at his interactions with his new toy. Harry walked over to her and hugged her leg tightly. "Thank you, mommy... I love you..."

Filia began trembling, feeling like she was about to fall over. He was just so... ADORABLE! Scooping her son up she put him into a tight hug and gave him a long, loving kiss in the forehead. "I love you too, baby." She cooed sitting down on the couch and pulling Harry close, then pulling a large blanket over the two, burying them in warmth.

She set the bowl of popcorn down next to them, then turned on the TV, setting it to a station that played cartoons. She rested her chin on Harry's head and smiled as he watched the shows. This...was perfect. Just a tender, loving moment between her and her adopted son... This was how she was planning to spend the rest of the day. She would order out to eat for supper...

Even Samson had to admit, this was nice. Filia hadn't seemed this happy in years, and maybe she was mature enough to take care of a kid. Ah, who was he kidding? With his advice and her passion, Harry would be just fine! Actually, Samson began to think about all the things he could 'teach' Harry. Weighing the enjoyment of Filia's mortified reaction against the pain of her ripping her hair out.

Snickering softly to himself, he settled down and watched the cartoon. Some show called SpongeBill CubePants. Looking at the main character made him want to swallow a huge block of cheese. Harry giggled uproariously at the funny antics of the goofy cartoon sponge as he and his best friend Peter annoyed their neighbour Octward.

Filia found Harry's laugh to be the most precious thing she had ever heard, no ifs and or buts about it! Not only was it so sweet because it was the sound of childhood innocence, it made Filia's heart leap because it meant Harry was feeling better like he could actually laugh.

She remembered the breakdowns and sobs her little boy had gone through and kissed his head, appreciating the sound of his laughter even more. The cartoon ended and the next one began, and Harry was delighted by that one too. He was having the greatest time of his life just watching cartoons and being held by his mommy.

Filia gently rubbed his back, knowing this was a soothing motion to her son, and right now, being comfortable was all she cared about. She and her son were going to spend time together, both cozy and happy, and Filia was okay with it.

The pair sat in front of the TV for hours, not even needing to say anything, just content with the knowledge that the other was there. However, they couldn't stay like that forever, as the popcorn eventually ran out, and the need for real food took over.

Filia sighed in annoyance and gently set Harry down next to her, earning a tiny whine from the small boy. "It's okay love, I'm just getting us some food." Filia said soothingly.

"But... I like being with you..." Harry quietly replied.

Filia kissed his cheek with a warm smile. "I like being with you too, honey. Don't worry. I'm just going to order something to eat. I'll be right back, and then we can snuggle some more, okay?

"Okay..." Harry pouted, making Filia giggle at the sight. He didn't seem to be physically capable of pouting, so he looked like a lost puppy. But his tone was so sincere and genuine, it was clear that even being away from her hurt him... She couldn't help it! He was too cute!

As she made her way to the phone however, Samson spoke up. "Y'know, ya can't really condition the kid into being overly clingy or anything like that."

Filia blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's fine now. He's been through a lot. But sooner or later, he'll have to learn to be independent."

Filia sighed sadly and nodded. "I know Samson... I know..." she sighed. "But he's been through nothing but hell his entire life. I wanna show him some overly motherly love. I know he'll have to be independent eventually. But for now... he needs me."

Samson fell silent, having no retorts for that. Filia picked up the phone, deciding to order some Dagonian food. [Chinese food] After placing the order for the large meal, she went back to Harry, who waited patiently. Smiling gently, she picked him up and nuzzled his tiny face. "Okay, honey, mommy's back now, see?" She cooed gently. Harry smiled in joy.

"Yay..." Harry said happily, leaning into her hug. Filia gave an 'Aww...' and hugged him tighter.

"Would you like to hear another story?" Filia asked, picking up the book of fairy tales she had read to Harry when he first stayed with her.

"Yes please." Harry replied.

"Alright, this is the story of a woman named Rapunzel..." Filia began.

She read the story to him, and once again, Harry found himself relating to the main character... He'd felt trapped all his life... Trapped in a neverending cycle of pain... But then Miss Filia came... And all that pain went away. She was his hero... She was the one that put a permanent end to his suffering...

Except Filia had the long hair... and it was also alive... Harry wondered how the story would've gone if Rapunzel had Samson on her head. Filia seemed to notice his thoughts and tilted her head. "What's wrong love?"

"Oh... um... I was wondering... what would the story be like if Miss Rapunzel had Mr. Samson on her head?" He asked timidly. There was a brief silence, then Samson burst out laughing.

"I wouldn't stay cooped up in some cramped old tower, that's for sure. The castle and the old hag would be dissolvin' in this guy's stomach acids!" The parasite said proudly.

Harry didn't exactly understand what Samson meant, but he did understand that he probably would've helped Rapunzel escape, or escape whether she wanted too or not. He giggled at the idea and Filia kissed the top of his head. "Would you like to hear another story?" Filia cooed.

"Yes please, mommy!"

She read through the book, and had just finished the tale of the gingerbread man when she heard a knock at the door. Smiling, she carried her boy over to the door and pulled it open. "Hi!" She greeted, pulling out her purse and collecting her bank card. "Do you take debit?" She asked. The delivery man nodded and held out a device. After paying for the food, Filia carried her son into the kitchen and set him down at the table, placing down the food and serving portions.

Harry looked at his food, somewhat confused by it. He had never made this before, and he hadn't seen his relatives eat it, maybe because there were so many vegtables, but Harry didn't know. "It's Dagonian food hon." Filia smiled, looking at the chopsticks that came with it, and wondering if Harry knew how to use them. She handed them over to the small boy, who looked at them, then at his food, then back at them. Then stabbed them into a piece of chicken like one would a fork.

Filia giggled softly. "Good try, but not quite." She said gently. "You're supposed to pick it up. Like this." She used her chopsticks to pick up some sweet and sour pork.

"Ooooh..." Harry nodded in understanding. "I think Mr. Samson is doing it wrong then." Indeed, Samson was just pouring his food down his gullet.

"Nah... Long as it's going in my mouth, no wrong way to do it." The parasite said with his mouth overflowing with food.

"Samson..." Filia groaned. "You REALLY need to learn some table manners."

"But I'm not a human like you. So your social etiquette rules don't apply to me." Samson replied, taking another bite.

"Samson..." Filia muttered, before turning back to help Harry with the chopsticks. But Harry seemed to be picking up on what to do. "There you go!" She cheered. Harry perked right up at her encouragement, using the chopsticks with a large, bright smile on his face. Filia was overjoyed. "You're so smart, sweetie! You caught on after just one bite!"

Harry looked rather proud of himself and Filia patted his little head affirmingly. The two went back to eating their meal, Harry enjoying the unique and new tastes that the noodles and chicken had. It tasted really good!

Filia observed her son's reactions to the meal and smiled in delight, glad to know he enjoyed Dagonian food. Perhaps they would make this meal a semi-regular thing. The two finished eating, and Filia picked Harry up again, sitting in his chair and cuddling him close to her bust. "Who's mommy's sweet baby boy?" She cooed.

"Um...Me...?" Harry asked rather tentatively.

Harry got his answer when Filia kissed his forehead with a grin. "Yup!" She cooed. "You're my sweet baby boy!" Harry giggled at the kiss and continued giggling as Filia continued playfully poking him and playing with him. Filia eventually stopped tickling her boy and began rocking him in her arms.

Harry smiled up at her, an expression that made Filia's heart soar. To see her son so happy, even after he'd been through hell on earth... It was a sign. A sign that she was doing a good job as his mother... And that fact made her happier than anything. She was going to be the one to help him see the light side of life after he had seen the darkest much too early...

As much as she could keep demanding to know why that had happened, or why the universe decided he would be the one to take the pain, she knew that in all honesty, that didn't matter now. Harry had her, and if you looked beyond the constant squeals and coos of delight over almost everything he did, Filia felt real, true love. This little boy wasn't just some child she was helping. He was her son.

She sat down with him on the couch and hugged him tightly, gently patting his back. She smiled lightly as she had the amusing thought that it really felt no different than trying to help a baby burp. Honestly, at this moment, it really did feel like she was holding a baby in her arms... His tiny size, his ridiculously light weight, the cute blue footie jammies... She had very mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it made him just insanely cute... But on the other, it broke her heart... It was a clear sign of the abuse and pain he had suffered...

Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on him just a little, as if through that action she could keep him safer... But she knew what was done was done. All she could do now was show him all the love in the world.

Harry rested his tiny head against his mother's shoulder and closed his eyes in content. He let out a soft little yawn that brought a smile to Filia's face. "Aww... Sounds like someone's ready for bed..." She cooed softly before kissing his cheek. "C'mon, sweetie pie... Let's go and tuck you in..."

"Mmkay mama..." Harry mumbled sleepily into her shoulder, eliciting a soft giggle from the woman. Carrying him to her room, she gently placed him down and tucked him in. She would have climbed in next to him, but she had some homework that she had put off...

She sighed and kissed his forehead, listening to his soft, happy coo as she walked over to her desk and sat down, sighing heavily as she knew she had no choice but to get to work so she could keep in school. "Hey, random question." Samson spoke up. "What happens to the kid when you go back to school?"

Filia blinked brightly, not entirely sure about that. "Hmm... That's a good question." She admitted. "Um... I guess Carol could watch him. She takes the night classes."

Samson hummed in response. "Guess the kid would like that just fine... Would be good for her too, having someone else around every day..."

Filia nodded. "We just need to get up a bit earlier so we can get him there." She agreed. "Hmm... Maybe Carol and I should become roommates..."

"That could work." Samson shrugged. "I'm not gonna act like I know how your school works, but I don't think they'd let you bring Harry with you like a service animal."

"Samson!" Filia hissed in a hushed voice. "He's a little boy!"

"Duh, that's what I was saying." Samson replied.

Filia nodded in understanding and focused on her work. She wrote at a brisk pace, not letting anything break her concentration. She was one of the best in the school, so the assignment was not difficult. She finished in about thirty minutes, and sighed in content, looking over her work and smiling softly to herself. "Well that was pretty easy..."

Then, she heard the sound of whimpering, followed by soft sobbing. Snapping her head over to her son, she saw that he was crying in his sleep. "Mommy... Help... Make it stop..."

Filia gasped and was almost immediately by her son's side. She gently picked up the tiny boy and began rocking him in her arms, trying to wake him up. "Harry, Harry wake up." She said urgently. "It's me, you're safe, please wake up!"

He whimpered softly before his eyes opened. He looked up at his adopted mother, then whimpered, prompting her to cuddle him against her shoulder. "It's okay, sweetheart... Mommy's here... Mommy's got you..." She whispered softly into his ear, humming softly to pacify his fears. "It was just a scary dream... It can't hurt you anymore..."

"M-My... My aunt- No... Petunia, she... She threw me in the basement, and I was falling down the stairs, and it was dark and scary and a bunch of voices were yelling at me, and telling me I was...was a useless freak, and that I deserve to die, and... and that you didn't really like me..."

"Hey, hey now... None of that's true." Filia comforted her son as best as she could, rocking him in her arms. "You're a precious, adorable little thing. I love you, and nothing could ever change that. You're my son, and I'll always protect you."

Harry sniffled and cuddled closer into her embrace. Filia felt his tiny fists clutching at her shirt and smiled softly, gently rubbing the back of his head. "Harry, it's okay if you need to cry... I'm not gonna hurt you... You know that... I don't want you bottling up your emotions anymore, okay?"

"Th-Thank you, mommy..." Harry whimpered before burying his face into her tummy and crying softly. Not as bad as his earlier breakdown... But still sad to behold.

Filia cried silently, doing everything she could to calm her son. But she knew at times like these, the only things that could help were to be there for him, and to let him cry. It was heartbreaking but this is what being a mother meant. And she had every intention of doing just that.

She whispered soothing words into the boy's ear to try and comfort him the best she could. "You're gonna be okay, honey, I won't let anything hurt you..." Finally, Harry stopped crying and sat still in his mother's embrace, shaking slightly as he felt her soothing, loving gestures of comfort that effectively calmed him down.

"I...I love you, mommy..."

"I love you too." Filia whispered, gently lulling Harry to sleep, smiling when she heard his tiny breathing return as he dropped off to sleep once again. Filia kissed the top of his head and sat on the bed, doing everything she could to keep him safe and content.

"I knew the kid was gonna have nightmares but... wow..." Samson muttered, genuinely taken aback by what had just happened. "I mean, the kid's been abused and nearly sold as a slave, but it seems like there's something more. Poor kid..."

Filia nodded her head sadly. "My poor baby... It just doesn't make sense... How could anyone look at this sweet little face and willingly hurt it...?"

"You know there's rotten people in the world, Filia. Medouchey family... That bitch Eliza... Bastards that tortured Carol and turned her into their weapon..."

Filia bit her lip. "I know... But... He's just so little... I didn't think anyone could be evil enough to..." Her voice trailed off and her shoulders began to tremble.

"Hey, kid. I get it." Samson said calmly. "I just don't want YOU to forget that. I think Harry knows, and that sucks... but... I..." Samson sighed deeply before moving to look into Filia's eyes, and he seemed genuinely saddened. "I care about you Filia. You and Harry. It's just sometimes..."

"Sometimes what?" Filia asked softly.

"Sometimes you assume inside every demon is a rainbow." Samson replied. "Maybe I'm a cynical bastard, but I don't want you to think 'No one could ever hurt this little kid'. Because people have."

Filia gave her parasite a flat look. "Oh, is that right, Samson? I hadn't even noticed. I was sleep walking the last two days, you see." Samson chuckled.

"Didn't know you could be such a smartass. But hey... Let this whole thing be a lesson to you. Don't assume there's good in every dirtbag you meet."

"...That's a very negative lesson that I wish wasn't true..." Filia admitted sadly.

"Yeah... but the good thing is, there's still good people." Samson admitted. "I'll be honest, you haven't just made the ki-Harry's life better, you've made Carol's life a HELL of a lot better, and even mine. I guess what I'm trying to say is... keep being who you are, but at the same time, be careful. Especially now that you're a mom and I'm a..." The parasite paused then seemed to lean back somewhat. "I'm not his dad... what does that make me?"

"Probably like an older brother." Filia replied.

Samson snorted. "No way, that'd make you my mom too! I'm like, a few thousand years older than you! That'd be weird as hell! I'd say I'm..."

"An uncle?" Filia asked. Samson grinned and nodded his head.

"You got it, kid! I'm badass Uncle Samson! I can beat the hell out of all those dirtbags that try to go after the kid!"

"Heh... just don't teach Harry to be like that, okay?" Filia said, getting more serious. "I don't want his childhood innocence ruined further due to you trying to teach him what you'd consider good life lessons."

"Yeah? And how is he supposed to learn them? That show you watched with the talking horses was all about 'friendship' and 'magic'!

"It's a good show!" Filia protested.

The parasite snorted. Filia sighed softly and kissed Harry's cheek before climbing under the covers with him. "Well... Tomorrow's Sunday, so we have all day tomorrow to ask Carol to babysit..." She said softly. Samson grunted in response. Filia giggled. "Well, good night Samson." The second she finished saying that, she heard the parasite's snoring. Smiling, the young woman focused on her sleeping child.

Harry, for his part, slept soundly, not having any nightmares that night, simply enjoying the warmth that his mother brought. His dreams were his reality, Filia holding him close, speaking softly to him, making sure that no matter what happened, she'd protect him. She'd love him.


	4. Chapter 4

Filia's eyes opened, and she sat up with a yawn, looking down at the sleeping boy in her arms and giggling softly. "My baby boy..." She kissed his cheek. Harry cuddled in closer to her, and she smiled softly, slowly placing him down so she could get dressed for the day. Putting on her blouse, miniskirt and thigh highs, she gently scooped Harry into her arms. "Harry? Wake up, honey." She cooed gently as she gently jostled him, causing him to coo softly and shift, his big emerald eyes cracking open.

"M...mama?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Hi, sweetie." Filia cooed, pressing her forehead against his. "Did you sleep well?"

"When you saved me I did." He mumbled, still clearly partially asleep. Filia chuckled at the cute sight.

She kissed his cheek and hugged him closer, rubbing his back. "Well I'm very glad to hear that, sweetie." She cooed. Harry smiled in content.

"Yo, Filia, hate to kill the mood here, but I'm freaking starved here! Let's go eat breakfast!" Filia rolled her eyes with a small smile on her face.

"You and your food..." She mumbled softly. Then her own stomach growled, followed shortly by the growling of her son's own stomach. "Heh. You may be right though" she added as she carried Harry into the kitchen again. Setting him on the counter she opened the freezer and found some frozen waffles. 'Perfect!' She thought.

She set them in the toaster to defrost them, then collected the butter and syrup from the fridge. She set it down on the counter and placed Harry in a chair... Then turned to see Samson with all the waffles on his plate. "...Samson..."

"What?"

"You are not eating all the waffles."

"Why not?"

"There's twelve waffles there, Samson."

"Yeah. I want twelve."

"Harry and I need to eat too. Here, let's take two for Harry..." She took two waffles off Samson's plate. "And two more for me..." She took some waffles for herself. "And there, you have eight."

"Hey, no fair! I want twelve!"

"You still have more than both of us combined, Samson."

"But I want twelve! You guys are being selfish."

Harry giggled at their interaction. He liked Samson. While he could seem mean or be loud, it was clear he wasn't like his aunt or uncle. He was a kind... Harry wasn't sure exactly what he was, but that didn't bother him. While he was somewhat frightened by the symbiotic parasite when they first met, Samson had fought to protect him more than once. "He can have mine, I'm not hun-" Harry began until Filia put a finger to his lips.

"No, no, no, no. no." She replied. "Samson has plenty to eat. In fact I'd say he has a little too much to eat. You just eat your breakfast, honey."

"Aw come on, the kid offered-" Samson froze when Filia shot him the nastiest, most vicious death glare he'd ever seen anyone give in their life.

"Eat your waffles, you greedy glutton." Samson looked back at his plate, sweating slightly. Harry turned back to his food and happily ate it.

"You're food's so much better than mine mama." Harry said. "My family always said I was terrible at it and that I ruined it..."

Filia hugged him tightly and kissed his nose. "Aww, honey, I'm sure you did just fine." She cooed. "Especially for your age..." Harry looked down.

"You're probably still better than me though..." He mumbled. Samson guffawed.

"All she did was put a few waffles in the toaster and spread stuff on 'em, kid. Any idiot could do it."

"Samson!" Filia hissed when she saw Harry's face fall. He seemed a mixture of saddened and used to hearing things like that. It occurred to the parasite a few moments later that Harry had probably been insulted over his efforts in the past.

"Uh... Hey, c'mon, kid, you know I didn't mean it like that..." The parasite said awkwardly. "I'm just saying that it's really easy. Pop it in, push the knob down and you're done."

Harry nodded his head slowly. Filia leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Harry... I've seen how you cook. You helped me before, and you knew exactly what you were doing. You did just fine... They were just trying to hurt you..."

Harry bit his lip. "...Why did they want to hurt me so bad, mama...?" The sheer sadness in her son's tone broke Filia's heart. "I...I didn't deserve it... right...?"

"...Sh*t..." Samson muttered, feeling genuinely remorseful for his comment. He knew Filia had been through a lot of crap, and she was strong enough to keep going, she knew how to overcome what life threw at her... But Harry was a kid, maybe six? Yet he looked like he was three, add to that the constant abuse he was thrown through, and it made sense why he'd feel that way.

"No. No you didn't, and I don't know why anyone could hurt you baby... I don't know..." Filia said quietly, hugging her son close.

Harry snuggled in closer to his mother and buried his face into her chest, his tiny shoulders trembling violently as he let out a series of whimpers."Sweetheart...?" Filia asked softly, gently grabbing his chin and tilting his head up to look at her. "Are you okay? What's on your mind right now?"

"M-Mommy..." Harry whimpered out. "They... They were my family... F-Family is supposed to love each other, but they hated me... What's... What's wrong with me...?"

Filia sighed. She didn't know what to say, all she knew was that holding Harry like this seemed to calm him down. So she decided that's what she would keep doing. "Let it out, let it all out sweetie." She cooed, rubbing Harry's back to try and calm him to the best of her ability.

Once again, she let her son cry into her chest. She was getting very used to this... And that fact broke her heart. This boy was so broken tnat he constantly had to cry out his feelings... He calmed down quicker this time, thankfully. Filia gently rubbed his back, giving him a tender, loving smile. She hoped he would recover, sooner than later... After cuddling him close for a few minutes more, Filia set her son back in his seat. "Okay, honey, finish your breakfast, okay?" Harry nodded and returned to his waffles.

"Thank you, mommy..."

Filia gave him a quick kiss and smiled. "You're welcome sweetie." She said with a smile. Harry quietly ate his breakfast, enjoying the warm taste of the waffles with syrup. Filia waited until he was eating again until she returned to her breakfast as well, both remaining silent as they ate, but feeling better.

Finally, breakfast was finished, and Filia picked Harry up, holding him in one arm and bouncing him up and down with a small smile. After kissing his nose, she walked towards the phone. After a couple rings, she heard her best friend's voice. "Um... Hello...?" Carol asked timidly on the other end. "Um... Who's calling...?" Filia giggled.

"Me, silly!" She said. "I was wondering if you were busy today..."

"Oh, no I'm not." Carol replied, her tone brightening slightly.

"Do you wanna hang out at my place today? Harry's here." Filia asked playfully.

"YES! Er, Y...Yeah.." Carol exclaimed, then muttered awkwardly.

Filia giggled. "Aww, it's okay to be excited, Carol. Nothing to be embarrassed about. I'll see you in a little bit then." She smirked mischievously. "You are gonna LOVE his new jammies."

"Oooh, you bought him new clothes?! I can't wait to see them!" Carol cooed into the phone. "Um... I'll be over as soon as I can! Bye!" Then she hung up.

Filia gave a light laugh as she picked up her son, carrying him back to her room, looking at the pile of clothes in one corner Filia hadn't gotten around to putting away yet and sat her son on the bed. "Okay Harry, let's get you ready for today." She smiled, kissing his nose.

Harry giggled, and Filia carefully took off his pajamas, slightly reluctantly as she didn't want to lose the cuteness, then handed him a t-shirt with kittens on it and a pair of sweatpants. "Okay, honey, get yourself dressed up now, okay?" Filia cooed. Harry nodded and Filia turned and left the room to give her son the privacy to get dressed.

About a minute later, Filia saw Harry poke his tiny head out from the door. "I'm ready mommy." He said, Filia grinned and scooped him up once again, holding him close to her chest.

"You look so precious!" Filia cooed, grinning down at her son. "Auntie Carol is coming over later, so let's just enjoy some time before she gets here, kay?"

Harry smiled and nodded his head. Giggling, Filia carried him into the living room and turned on the TV. "Aw, you gotta be kidding me! This is the time of day where all the baby shows are on!" Samson complained.

"Oh, come on, Samson! You know you wanna watch the Telechubbies!" Filia teased lightly.

"Why would anyone wanna watch those creepy-ass things? They look like something that Brain Drain guy would build in his creepy lab!"

Filia ignored her hair and turned the tv on, after flipping through a few channels, she found Telechubbies and decided to see if Harry would enjoy it. However, she quickly realized after a few minutes that Harry didn't have the same happy energy he did when they watched previous shows. He didn't seem frightened or uninterested, more... confused. "Everything okay, Harry?" Filia asked.

"This... um... this is weird." Harry finally mumbled.

"See! The kid agrees!" Samson declared.

The feelings of confusion turned to fear for all parties involved when the scene cut to the telechubbies sitting on a hill, watching two cardboard cutouts of a polar bear and a tiger run around chasing each other. "Mommy, I'm really scared." Harry said softly.

"Filia, I'M scared." Samson agreed. "Who the hell looked at this crap and said 'Yep, THIS is totally fine to show to literal babies'?! The kid's got enough crap to have nightmares about, PBS!"

Add to this the fact that a sun with what looked like a baby's face appeared not long after, and there were no complaints as Filia said nothing, but changed the channel silently. It took her a minute or two, but finally she found the National World channel, and a show about tigers. "Kitty?" Harry suddenly spoke up, his head tilted slightly.

"Okay... Hopefully this is better..." Filia sighed. They spent the next half-hour or so watching the show. The narrator had a very calming voice, and the show was amazingly filmed. It was also clear Harry seemed to like the big cats.

Eventually, the sound of knocking caught Filia's attention. "Oh! That must be your auntie Carol." She set Harry down gently. "I'll go and let her in, you enjoy the show."

"Okay, mommy!" Harry said happily, making Filia smile brightly. She stepped up to the door and pulled it open, and indeed, there stood Carol, holding a shopping bag in her hands.

"Hi, Filia..." The chestnut haired woman greeted softly. "Um... I brought a few little presents for Harry..." Filia smiled and hugged Carol.

"I'm sure he'll really appreciate that."

Harry peeked over the back of the couch and let out a tiny, but happy: "Auntie Carol!" Carol's grin widened as she walked over and scooped Harry up, resting his hear against her shoulder as she playfully poked his little tummy.

"Hi love, it's great to see you again!" She cooed, smiling down at the tiny boy who was relaxing in her arms. Turning back to Filia she added: "He really seems happy here."

"I hope so." Filia nodded. "Poor dear's had it so rough, he deserves to be happy."

Carol's smile turned sad as she looked down at the boy in her arms. "Well... That's not something we need to focus on... Let's just... see how he likes his present!"

Harry blinked. "A-A present...? For me...? Really...?" He asked softly. He was already surprised enough when his mother got him a present, and now his auntie Carol too?

Carol nodded with a warm smile. She reached into the bag and pulled it out. "I um... hope you like it... It's just somehing I kinda...got on a whim..." The present was an assortment of animal toys. From hippos to alligators to tigers.

Harry's eyes seemed to light up and Filia smiled. "Thank you Auntie Carol!" He said happily, trying his best to hug his aunt, but was far too tiny to effectively do so. Carol laughed and hugged him back nonetheless.

"Aww, you're welcome sweetie. I'm glad you like it." Carol said, rocking the tiny boy in her arms as she held him close. This was a nice feeling, she understood why Filia enjoyed this...

Filia smiled brightly at the scene. She was very grateful to her best friend for taking the time to bring Harry a gift, and a very appropriate one at that. Harry picked up the tiger figure and held it tightly in his hands, petting it as if it were an actual cat. Filia giggled softly and took a seat next to her son and friend. "Harry's a little cat lover." She explained. "He was watching a documentary on tigers before you showed up, and he really loved it." Carol smiled.

"Well, it's good to hear he's a cat lover." Carol smiled. "Poor little guy needs to like something." The two women sat down on the couch, one on each side of Harry, making small talk while Harry played with the animal toys. All the while the nature show kept playing.

"So, Carol... there's something I need to ask." Filia finally said. Carol turned to her and looked her dead in the eyes to show she was paying attention. "So, we have school tomorrow, and I kinda need someone to babysit Harry..."

"Oh! Yeah, I can watch him for you." Carol agreed with a huge smile. Filia sighed softly.

"I knew you'd be up for it, but the problem is that you live pretty far from here... Carol... I was wondering if you were open to the idea of becoming roommates?"

Carol blinked in surprise, her mouth open to respond, but was left in surprised silence. "R..Really?" She finally got out.

"Yeah, I mean, why not?" Filia shrugged. "You have night classes I have day classes, it'd make getting to school less of a hassle for you, I know Harry likes you, so he wouldn't have much of an issue being taken care of by you." By now, Harry was looking up at the two women in a mixture of confusion and wonder, he didn't know what they were talking about, but they seemed happy, so he was happy.

Carol smiled softly. "Um... Okay...!" She said with a bright smile. "I was getting kinda lonely in my apartment, so yeah... Yeah, living with you guys would be great..."

Filia smiled and hugged her friend close. "Aww, this'll be great!" She exclaimed. Carol hugged back with a large smile.

"I...I wanted to bring up the idea for so long, but I was never sure how to do it..." She admitted shyly.

"Well, I don't think that matters much now!" Filia laughed. "I bet Harry will be thrilled. Harry?" Both women looked around butt here was no sign of the tiny boy. Confused, the looked down before seeing Harry was currently sandwiched between the two, happily trying to hug the two women. The looked to Harry, then to each other, and laughed.

Harry blinked, not sure why they were laughing, but smiled nonetheless, glad that they were at least happy. Filia picked him up and set him in her lap. "So, did you hear that, Harry?" The young woman cooed gently. "Auntie Carol's gonna move in and live with us!" The way Harry's eyes lit up almost made Carol tear up. Harry was thrilled. His auntie was gonna live here too! He'd be living with a full family! "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Filia laughed, before looking back to Carol, as if realizing something. "So uh... is there anything from your apartment you need?"

"Yeah, But we can figure that out later." Carol shrugged, gently taking Harry out of Filia's arms and hugging him.

"Hey!" Filia shouted. "Give him back!"

"Hm. No, I don't think I will." Carol replied, sticking her tongue out.

"Samson!"

"Sorry Fifi. Not gonna risk hurting the kid." Samson said jokingly.

Filia pouted and crossed her arms over her bust with a huff. Carol giggled in response and gave her nephew a kiss atop his tiny head. "So widdle..."

Filia smiled despite heeself before rising to her feet. "Well... It's getting pretty close to lunchtime. I'll go and cook something, you two visit."

"Okay!" Carol called back in a chipper tone before gazing down at the tiny bundle of joy in her arms. "You're such a little cutie..." She said softly.

Harry seemed embarrassed by his aunt's words, and tried to look away, only to quickly realize there was nowhere he could go. Carol was holding him close, and he was too comfortable to try and escape. "Aww! You're so precious!" Carol cooed, kissing him on the forehead. "Your sweet widdle face is so adorable when you're embarrassed!" Harry squirmed again, this time trying to get closer to Carol.

Carol giggled and kissed his nose. Harry smiled softly and decided not to resist it. He liked his auntie Carol's kisses very much... Smiling, he cuddled up closer. Filia was watching them from the kitchen, and she smiled brightly. It warmed her heart to see them bond, even if she did get slightly grumpy because of it. She focused on the food she was preparing, not wanting anything to burn. Carol was amazing with her son...

It felt good that Carol was able to open up to someone, to show affection. It was clear Harry was almost like a therapy pet for her, but not really a pet... Taking another quick glance out, she smiled when she saw Carol was currently tickling Harry as he lay across her lap, giggling uncontrollably.

She knew that Carol moving in would be good for all of them... Filia would always be able to have a go-to sitter for her son. And Carol and Harry would be able to spend time together. Smiling and humming softly to herself, the former blonde turned ravenette turned back to the meal she was preparing, making sure Samson didn't try to... 'sample'.

Carol and Harry were now seated on the floor in front of the coffee table, playing with Harry's animal figures and plush toys. They were using the toys to act out a scenario where a tiger, a hippo and a zebra were best friends trying to become superheroes.

Harry was so engrossed in it that he didn't notice the looks he was getting from the two, smiling down at the tiny boy. He was so sweet and precious... Harry was enjoying playing with the animals. He didn't fully understand the story, but he didn't care. He was spending time with his family, and they weren't hurting him...

Yes... This was what a family was... His aunt Petunia was not family, nor was she ever. Family was supposed to show you love and comfort and support... And his mommy, his aunt and his...um...uncle, he supposed, in Samson's case, were doing just that for him. He felt wanted... He felt safe... This was his home. He was safe and loved and treated not like a worthless freak, but like the child he was.

Filia seemed to notice his thoughts and gently pulled him closer, resting his head against her side, earning a tiny giggle in response. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me Harry." She started.

"Same here." Carol nodded with a smile.

"An...and you're the best thing that happened to me mama." Harry said timidly, smiling up at Filia.


	5. Chapter 5

"So this is the last of your stuff?" Filia asked, setting down the last box they had retrieved from Carol's apartment. Carol nodded in affirmation.

"Yes... That's it." She smiled shyly. "Thank you very much for all your help... I doubt I could have carried all of this back all by myself..."

"It's fine, Carol." Filia said with a smile. "I'm always ready to help you." She turned to her son and smiled warmly. "You were a big help too, honey."

"Thank you mama." Harry smiled up at her, Filia returned the grin but felt a little saddened internally. Harry had wanted to help so badly, but the was so frail and tiny... still, he had a good work ethic, which made Filia grimace somewhat. She had a bad feeling that the 'work ethic' he had was beaten into him by his aunt.

"Thanks sweetie." Carol cooed, kissing his forehead affectionately. "You were really strong!"

Harry beamed at his aunt's praise and hugged her leg. "Thank you, auntie Carol... I tried really hard." Harry said with a bright smile before yawning softly. Filia giggled.

"Aww, sounds like mommy's little baby is gonna be taking his nap." Filia cooed, scooping Harry up and hugging him tightly against her bosom.

"Mmkay, mama..." Harry mumbled, leaning into her shoulder. Filia turned to Carol.

"Okay, so the guest room right over there is your room. Harry sleeps in my bed with me, so there's no worries about spare bedrooms." She explained.

Carol nodded and followed Filia into her room, where she gently tucked Harry into bed, smoothing the blankets out and making sure he had the stuffed panda she had given to him. He tried to stay awake, with all of his energy he really did, but he was tired, and sleep quickly won the battle. Not long after he was tucked in was he breathing peacefully. Filia made sure the blind was mostly down, but was open enough to let some light in, and she and her new roommate left the room, leaving the door open. "I'll be honest, all this... it's turned out better than I expected." Samson remarked, making his presence known.

"What do you mean by that?" Carol asked questioningly.

"Look, when Filia told me she wanted to keep the kid, I thought she was nuts. But after seeing how she's handled everything, I think it's safe to assume the little guy will finally have a decent life."

Filia blinked at that. "Huh? Samson, you never told me you thought I was nuts... You were thinking bad about me behind my back? Why? What makes you think I couldn't be a good mom?"

"Well, really, it's mostly 'cause you're still pretty damn young yourself. Eighteen years old. Not exactly a ton of age experience just yet, and ya still have some pretty damn kiddy tendencies."

Filia pouted and stomped her foot. "I do NOT have kiddy tendencies!" She exclaimed indignantly. Samson just laughed, Filia having proved his point completely.

"Samson kind of has a point." Carol conceded. "But he's also right about the fact that you're going to be the best fit for raising him." Filia sighed deeply and somewhat over dramatically before looking back to her friend.

"Thanks." She said with a roll of her eyes.

"Any time Fifi." Samson added, and Filia punched herself in the head. "Ow. Worth it." While the two argued, Carol glanced into the room, smiling at Harry, curled up with his stuffed panda, having a blissful sleep. She hoped she'd be able to make him happy like Filia could...

The two girls tiptoed out of the room and closed the door, then made their way downstairs and sat down on the couch. Filia turned to Carol and smiled warmly. "So...yeah! Welcome home, sis." Carol teared up and hugged her friend tightly.

"Thank you for having me...sis..." She said softly. The two hugged each other tightly, but were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Um... Are you expecting company...?" Carol asked.

"No." Filia replied, confused. "Let's...go see who it is." The two girls approached the door and pulled it open... and were pleasantly surprised to find Parasoul standing before them.

"Oh, Carol." Parasoul said, surprised. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

"What are you doing here princess?" Filia asked.

"Well, I wanted to stop by and inform you that Harry's abuser is going to prison for a long time." The princess remarked. "How is the little dear doing?"

"He just fell asleep for a nap." Filia smiled. "C'mon in."

Parasoul smiled and accepted the offer. "Thank you, Filia. I...have a few things I'd like to talk to you about regarding Harry... We managed to get...everything out of that woman during interrogation."

"Everything?" Filia asked. "So...what exactly does...everything entail...?"

"Well, for one thing, she insists that she's from some place called England, and little Harry brought them both here with magic." The princess rolled her eyes before pulling out a sheet of paper. "However, I believe this is something you should know... That woman confessed to everything she and her husband and son did to Harry, and.. .it's absolutely sickening... Filia... I know this will be difficult for you, but..."

"What did they do to my baby?!" Filia demanded, slamming her hands down on the coffee table.

"He was abused, almost inhumanly." Parasoul with no life in her voice. "They treated him like a slave, they beat him, tormented him... It's awful."

"I...I...I don't care." Filia stammered out, tears forming in her eyes. "Tell me everything." Parasoul sighed, clearly not going to enjoy what she was going to say. For the next hour, Parasoul recounted what she had been told. The abuse, the hatred, the insults... It was horrific. Carol remained silent the whole time, her face drained of all colour, and Filia was breathing angrily.

"I'm gonna kill her..." The young mother snarled in rage. "I...am going...to f*cking...KILL that horse-faced, broomstick-bodied, screeching old C*NT." All parties involved were taken aback. Filia almost never swore. For her to use such powerful profanity was extremely out of character for her...

Samson laughed darkly. "Great minds think alike, kid. So here's what I'm thinking... First, we grab that cheese grater from the kitchen... Then, we shove it right into her- Filia?" Filia's rage had vanished. Now she was sobbing softly.

"My baby..." She sobbed out. "My little baby boy..."

Carol slowly wrapped her arms around her friend, not saying anything just trying to be there for her friend. It hurt, it really did... No one knew what to say. "We're here for you Filia." Parasoul finally said. "All of us. I hope you know that."

"I...I know..." Filia finally managed to get out. "I just don't know why this happened... What did he do wrong?"

"We've been over this, kid. Good kid got mixed in with bad people." Samson replied. Filia clutched tightly at her skirt and looked down at the floor.

"...Thank you all for being there for me, but... But it's not me you should be there for... I'm not the one who suffered... Everyone... Please... Will you be there for Harry...?" Filia asked softly, looking at her two friends.

"I will, Filia... You know I will." Carol said softly, grabbing Filia's hand and holding it tightly.

"Agreed." Parasoul nodded. "I'll do everything I can to ensure that he isn't harmed again. If there's anything you need just ask." The silence returned for a moment, then a tiny voice spoke up.

"Mama?" Looking over her shoulder, Filia saw Harry peeking into the room, clearly upset by something. "Why are you crying mama?" He asked, walking towards his mother. "Did... did I do something wrong?"

"Of course not." Filia said, scooping up her son and holding him close. "I just... what you went through was awful..." Harry snuggled in closer, and Filia cooed softly at him. "So, did you have a nice nap?" She asked gently. Harry nodded into her embrace. "Good... Your auntie Parasoul came for a visit."

Harry blinked, then looked over to see a rather surprised Parasoul, looking first at Filia, then at Harry. "...Hello, little one. You're looking much better than the last time we met."

"Hi, Miss Auntie Parasoul ma'am." Harry replied, feeling in his gut that this was a woman to be treated with nothing but the utmost respect. Parasoul smiled when she heard his attempt at properly addressing her.

"Parasoul is just fine dear." She said calmly, patting his head, making the tiny boy smile. "He is adorable, isn't he?"

"He really is." Filia smiled, kissing his head before gently handing him over to her friend. The princess blinked in surprise at the gesture before slowly accepting the little boy, gently taking him from Filia and holding him close to her bust.

Harry didn't feel scared or nervous being held by her. He remembered when she had held him before, while his mother was protecting him from the bad people... He looked up at her with a small, shy smile, then nuzzled in closer to her embrace.

Parasoul let a small smile form on her face. She saw why Filia loved him so much... it was as if he was starved for affection, and Filia was the first person to ever show it to him. Sadly, she also believed that was the truth... but that was behind him now.

"Hello, little one." She said softly. "I'm happy that you seem to be doing better than our last meeting."

Harry smiled into the princess' embrace. "Mama takes really good care of me... I get to eat every day, and she gives me hugs, and she... She lets me be happy..."Filia beamed at Harry's words, absolutely touched at how her adopted son seemed to genuinely love her. She internally thanked whatever forces had brought them together...

Parasoul, for her part, smiled and nodded her head. "I'm very glad to hear that, Harry... You truly deserve to be treated right after living in such a nightmare." Harry briefly tensed up at that remark, Parasoul noticed and bit her lip slightly before giving him a gentle hug, trying to reassure him.

"It's okay Harry. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"It...it's okay Miss Parasoul." Harry timidly replied, before leaning into her touch. She had a warm and cozy atmosphere to her, and Harry liked it. He felt secure. It was the same feeling he got from his mother and his auntie Carol. This was the feeling of being with someone he could trust... Someone that was part of his family.

Yes... He hadn't known, Miss Parasoul very long... But from what he did know about her, she had worked very hard to help him... She was the main reason he was with his mama..."Um... Miss- I mean...auntie Parasoul...?" Parasoul looked down at him, blinking slightly. "Um... Thank you. Y-You helped save me... Thank you..."

"You're very welcome little one." Parasoul smiled before kissing him on the forehead. Harry blushed slightly as Parasoul handed Harry back over to Filia who happily took him back and tucked him into her arm next to her. "As for the monster who tried to hurt you..." Parasoul added, suddenly growing rather grim. "He'll never hurt anyone again."

Filia blinked at that, Carol tilted her head... But Samson grinned. "That mangy fleabag got the death penalty, did he?" Parasoul nodded her head.

"We have a zero tolerance policy for slave trading." She said softly. "It is truly the worst thing you could do to anyone, a child most of all..."

"So how'd it go down? Electric chair with a dry sponge? Oh, please tell me it was like that part in The Red Mile!" Samson exclaimed, grinning sadistically.

"Samson, what the f**k?!" Carol shouted, taking everyone present aback. Harry stiffened and tried to hide in Filia's chest, afraid of both the screaming and memories of what nearly happened, and Parasoul and Filia were shocked not only that Carol swore, but that she raised her voice in such an aggressive way.

Samson raised his hands and leaned back. "Whoa, easy there, Carol! Just sayin', guy's a dirtbag... It'd serve him right..." He mumbled softly.

Carol sighed. "Sorry... It's just... I don't know... Harry really doesn't need to hear that... In fact, I kinda wish he didn't hear any of this..."

"Yes, I suppose you're right..." Parasoul said with a slight nod. "He's clearly a very sensitive boy... I should have waited until he was out of sight." Filia bit her lip as she looked down at Harry, who was scared stiff, hiding in his mother's embrace.

"Hey... it's okay sweetie..." She cooed, trying to get him out of his terrified state. "It's okay..." Sadly, Filia wasn't too sure what to say or do at this moment, she figured the best thing she could do was hold her son close. She hugged him tightly against her breast and placed her hand on the back of his head, gently rubbing it to comfort the poor little boy

Harry looked up at her with a timid expression on his face. "M-Mama...? They... They can't hurt me anymore... Right...?" He asked softly.

Filia smiled sadlt and gave him a kiss on his forehead and both of his cheeks. "No, sweetie pie... They're gone... Out of your life forever..."

"Thank you... thank you..." Harry mumbled, leaning into Filia's safe and warm hug. He nuzzled down and seemed to shrink into her arms. Filia smiled and patted his head, giving him a reassuring smile.

"S...Sorry." Carol mumbled. "I..I..I...I didn't mean-"

"Don't apologize." Filia cut her friend off. "It wasn't your fault." The group sat in silence for a while, watching Harry press himself as tightly against Filia as he reasonably could. The young woman gently stroked his back and gave him an adoring smile.

Parasoul watched the scene play out before her and beamed. She knew Filia was truly the perfect mother for Harry... This was fate, no ifs, ands or buts. Then she remembered something. "You know, Umbrella is very interested in meeting young Harry. She's always wanted to be an older sister you know..."

"Really?" Filia asked, a bit surprised.

"Umbrella?" Harry asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Oh, she's my little sister." Parasoul explained, now looking at Harry, who had his tiny head tilted in confusion. "She's a little... excitable, so to say, but she's very nice."

"We've babysat her a couple times... She was actually really nice to have around. I think you'll like her." Carol said, smiling fondly at the memories of the pink haired girl.

"Yeah, Harry, this is a good opportunity for you to have a friend closer to your own age. That would be very good for you." Harry looked somewhat excited at the idea.

"Um... Can I meet her soon...?" He asked.

"I'll try to bring her by later in the week." Parasoul assured.

"Okay." Harry shyly replied. His tone was one of hopefulness though. Filia smiled and kissed his head lovingly.

"So, Parasoul. Do you wanna stay for a bit? We were trying to figure out what we were gonna eat later, and if you're here with us, then we may just go to a restaurant."

"That sounds nice." Parasoul nodded. "Any idea on where we'd go?"

Filia looked thoughtful. "Well, um... I know it's probably not something you'd like, since you're a princess and all, but... maybe a nice, affordable fast food restaurant...? I kinda already used most of my um...allowance on food, bills and stuff for Harry..."

Parasoul smiled. "If it's affordability you're worried about, then don't be. I'll treat you all to dinner at the finest restaurant in town. How does that sound?"

The girls blinked and exchanged glances. "Oh no, really, you don't have to do that... I invited you." Filia said.

"Think nothing of it." Parasoul smiled. "After all, I think my nephew should put a little more meat on his bones. The little dear is so thin..." Filia sighed and hugged Harry, nuzzling the top of his head.

"But he's so cute..." Filia cooed. She let out a small giggle as she looked down at her son. "But I'll admit... He'd definitely look even cuter with some baby fat." She poked his belly and he giggled cutely. Filia kissed her son's forehead, then smiled up at everyone else. "So um... What should we do until dinner?" She asked the group for input.

"Um... Maybe see if we can find any good movies on TV...? I know a really good channel for movies..." Carol said softly.

"Sure." Filia shrugged as the three moved over to the couches near the TV. Filia decided to make popcorn and left for a minute and when she returned, Carol was holding Harry on her lap. "Seriously?" The young woman groaned in annoyance.

"My turn." Carol replied, hugging Harry close. Filia pouted, then set the popcorn down on the table, sitting next to Carol and Harry with her arms crossed over her chest. Parasoul chuckled softly at the scene. They flipped to the channel Carol suggested, and found that the Annie: Girl of the Stars movie was playing. "Oh right, Annie." Filia mused. "She's a huge hit with the kids."

"Oh yes!" Parasoul exclaimed, sounding a bit more excited than she would have liked. She made a mental note to reign herself in. She didn't want to reveal her secret love of Annie to anyone. Harry blinked at Parasoul and she noticed, laughing nervously.

"I was agreeing with Filia..." she said nervously, trying to ignore the looks of confusion and questioning she was getting from Filia and Carol. Thankfully, the two women seemed to let it go. (Or if they did know, they didn't say anything.)

The group watched the movie in relative silence. Parasoul periodically looked back over at Harry to see if he was enjoying it, and he seemed to be smiling. When the movie ended, Harry let out a "Yay!" and threw his tiny arms up in the air. Filia giggled and snatched her son out of Carol's lap.

"Now it's my turn again." Filia said with a playful smirk. Carol sulked slightly, her shoulders drooping. Parasoul rose to her feet.

"Well then... I believe it's time we all went out to eat."

"Am...am I staying here?" Harry asked, suddenly seeming downcast.

"What? Why would stay behind while we went to- oh." Filia began be abruptly stopped short when she figured why he'd ask that. Smiling reassuringly, Filia kissed his cheek. "Of course not sweetie! You're coming with us." Harry perked up and smiled as his adoptive mother picked him up and held him against her shoulder. "Okay, I'll call a taxi." Filia said with a nod.

"Um... I'll pay the taxi bill...!" Carol volunteered. "I...have more money than you right now, since you've been spending so much on Harry and all..."

Filia nodded her head with a smile. "Thank you, Carol." Grabbing the phone, she dialed the number for the cab.

Harry watched as his family seemed to all be doing different things that seemed to be like parts in a machine. He smiled and let himself be held by his Mama. A few minutes later, the taxi arrived and the small group got into it. Filia handed Harry to Parasoul, only to see when she got in the princess didn't feel like giving him back. "Um... Princess...?" Filia pleaded, reaching her arms out for Harry. Parasoul looked as though she was considering it before smirking lightly.

"As your princess, I hereby decree that I am allowed to take this child from you to hold in my arms any time I like. This is a direct order, Filia."

Parasoul gave Filia a rather smug grin as she tried to take her son back from her. "Hey, come on, that just isn't fair!" Filia whined into the princess' hand.

"Well, I'm your ruler, so you'll have to make do with it." She said with a smile, before turning to Harry. "Would you like to come live with me? You'd be a prince, and live in a big castle." Parasoul smirked at Filia's muffled screams, while Carol watched the two with a 'This is my life now' expression.

"That'd be nice Miss Parasoul, but... I don't wanna be away from mommy..." Harry sheepishly replied.

"Yeah, he doesn't wanna be away from mommy!" Filia crossed her arms with a huff. "If you try to take him from me, I am going to steal your shoes!"

"Why, Filia, I'm surprised at you. Threatening to steal the princess' shoes is a very serious offense you know." Parasoul teased. Filia huffed.

"Threatening to take my baby away is a very serious offense to me personally." She said with her arms crossed over her chest.

"But I don't believe I pose any real threat to the little dear, now do I?" Parasoul replied cooly, knowing that this was extremely annoying to Filia, but she didn't much care. Not only was Filia acting much more childish, but Harry was laughing at the interaction between the two as he was tucked into the princess' cloak. "Relax Filia, you'll have him back at the resturaunt. Honestly, you can be so childish sometimes..."

"I know right?" Samson remarked smugly. "I keep telling her that, but she doesn't want to believe me." Filia leaned her head back against the seat, causing Samson to let out a series of loud, muffled yells before pushing himself off and scowling. "Yeah, I rest my case..." He grumbled. The taxi driver drove forward with a blank expression, one that just screamed 'I don't get paid enough for this'.

When they reached the restaurant, Carol paid the driver, and they stepped out of the cab. Before she knew what was happening, Filia had snatched Harry from Parasoul's arms and was hugging him close once again. "Mine." Filia said almost childishly. Parasoul laughed slightly.

"Are you sure you're not eight? I believe Umbrella is more mature than you."

Filia gasped, then pouted and stomped her foot in a petulant manner. "Nuh-uh!" She protested. Parasoul crossed her arms over her bust and quirked her brow in amusement.

"I think you just proved her point, Filia..." Carol said softly. Filia responded by hugging Harry tighter and sticking her nose up in the air.

Carol giggled. "Wow... It's been such a long time since you turned your nose up at somebody. You used to do it all the time before Samson took over."

Filia blinked. "Huh? I did?"

"Just another reason why I make your life so much better in every way." Samson remarked proudly.

"Like how you make it nearly impossible for me to get a haircut? Or how you get mad at me every time I take a shower?" Filia retorted.

"In my defence, you didn't wake me before you started showering!" Samson countered. "You nearly drowned me!"

"Well it's not my fault you sleep like a rock. And besides, you hit when somebody tries to wake you." Filia responded with a huffy expression.

"Ha! Well when a man's asleep, you let him sleep!" Samson laughed in response. Filia rolled her eyes and pushed her hat further down, muffling his voice.

"You two have a very...interesting relationship." Parasoul noted, a twinkle of amusement in her eye. Filia smiled sheepishly, giving a slightly nervous chuckle in response.

"Some days I honestly don't know how to explain it." Filia shook her head. "Sometimes it's great having him around, other times it's a nightmare."

"Up yours."

"Samson! Not when Harry's around!" The young woman hissed.

"Up yours." Samson reiterated. Filia punched herself in the back of the head. "OW! What'd I do?!" Filia rolled her eyes, and the group entered the restaurant. They found a table and took a seat, Filia holding Harry on her lap. The group waited patiently for the waiter to arrive, holding a discussion all the while. Harry remained seated on Filia's lap, quietly listening to his family talk. It was a calming atmosphere that he wished he could live in. Wait, he could!

"...and it turns out little Harry likes cats." Filia remarked, running her hand through his hair. The other two women smiled at that. Carol preferred dogs, but she had to admit that cats were cute as well. Parasoul too was a firm cat person, as she found dogs too rambunctious and high energy. She already had her sister for such things.

"Buuut he's also scared of dogs... No doubt because that WOMAN let that giant bulldog... You know..." She leaned down and kissed the top of her son's head.

"Yeah, it's a good thing that one dumbass and his giant, violent mammoth dog got kicked out of the apartment, huh? Doubt the kid could deal with that thing roaming the hallways."

"So Harry, what do you enjoy doing?" Parasoul asked, deciding to change topics and looked down at the tiny boy.

"Uh... being with mama..." Harry replied after a few moments. "And..." He trailed off, trying to think about what else he enjoyed, his contemplation look was one of the cutest things Parasoul had seen. "Um... Cooking is kinda fun, even though I get owies from it sometimes..." The girls all winced at that. "Oh, and I like working in the garden..."

"Aww, no way! I like gardening too!" Carol squeed softly. Harry perked up at that, smiling over having found someone with a common interest. The boy and his aunt began to discuss the various types of flowers they've grown, Carol taking the time to explain to Harry what some of his were. Harry was nodding and listening intently, as he tried to put names to the flowers he had worked on. He replied with questions and nodded in understanding. Filia would giggle every now and then at her son's expressions. It was clear he didn't understand everything, but he was trying. Carol giggled softly. "Maybe someday we can all move into a nice house... And then we can have our very own garden and fill it up with all kinds of pretty flowers."

"Can we have roses?" Harry asked, to which Carol nodded.

"Of course. What garden would be complete without them?" Then the waiter arrived. Harry was still nervous around new people, and tried to insist he wasn't hungry, but Filia calmly reassured him it was fine and ordered for him. Carol and Parasoul ordered as well before looking back at Harry with a sad smile. It was heartbreaking to hear him say he didn't need to eat, or that he didn't deserve to... They might have asked who could've done that to him, but they knew.

Thankfully, the ones responsible were either dead, or in prison with a very short lifespan once word got out about what she was in for. When the waiter returned, the group ate their meals in comfortable silence. Harry had asked to try the smoked salmon, and he seemed to really be enjoying it. Meanwhile, Samson had eaten half of Filia's meal, and was currently sneaking bites from Carol and Parasoul's when they weren't looking. Filia looked down and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey!" She exclaimed in surprise. "What happened to my food?!"

"Mo ifea..." Samson said with a mouthful of food. Carol and Parasoul seemed to realize that parts of their meals were missing.

Filia scowled angrily. "Samsooooon..." She growled out. Her parasite snickered in response and Filia punched herself in the back of the head.

"Ow! What'd I do?" Samson protested. Filia just crossed her arms and sulked in response, cheeks puffing out slightly.

"You got my food all hairy too..." She whined.

"You can have some of mine mommy." Harry said, pushing his plate towards her.

"Aw, Thank you Harry." Filia smiled down at her son. "But I'm alright."

"Oh. But... what are you gonna eat?" Harry asked.

"Um... I guess I'll just eat...hairy steak..." Filia said with a sheepish grin, turning to her meal and picking out as much as Samson's hair as she could.

Soon enough, the group was finished eating. Filia picked Harry up and they all went outside. "Well, it's been lovely, girls. I do love when I get the time to visit with you." Parasoul said.

"It has." Carol nodded with a smile. "I hope things are okay for you in the... royal life." Parasoul laughed gently and nodded.

"Thank you for your concern." The princess smiled. "I hope things get better for Harry." She pulled out her phone. "I'll call a limo and drop you all off back home on my way to the palace." She said with a small nod. The group stood and talked for several minutes until the limo pulled up.

The egret driving saluted as the princess and her companions stepped in. Filia looked down at Harry. "Well... We have school tomorrow, Carol..."

"Yep! Which means I get to babysit!" Carol affirmed with a smile and a nod. Harry, however, seemed saddened by the news.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Filia asked, tilting his head up.

"Y...You'll be gone..." Harry mumbled. "I don't want you to leave." Filia gave a loud 'Aww!' and hugged her son close.

"I'm not leaving you, honey. I just need to go to classes for a little bit. And you'll be spending time with your auntie Carol!"

Harry seemed to perk up a little bit at that and nodded his head slowly. "Um... But you're gonna come back okay... right...?" He asked softly.

Filia leaned down and planted a loving kiss on his forehead. "Of course, honey. I'll always come back for you. Nothing will ever keep me away."

"Thank you, mommy." Harry said, happily leaning into her chest, which made Filia giggle and readjust him so his head was resting on her shoulder.

"You're more than welcome, sweetie pie." Filia cooed in a sing-song tone.

"She certainly knows how to make him happy." Parasoul remarked.

"Yeah. And after everything th'kids been through, it's completely deserved." Samson added, appearing from under Filia's hat.

Harry let out a soft yawn that made Filia smile softly. "Tired, huh? Well, it's close to bedtime, so that's good... We'll go straight to bed as soon as we get home."

"Mmkay, mama..." Harry mumbled tiredly as he clutched at her shirt. Filia gently patted his back and kissed his face with a soft giggle before turning to Carol.

"I bought him the CUTEST pair of footie jammies, and you have GOT to see him in them. He looks like the world's sweetest little baby doll!"

"Aww! I HAVE to hold him once he's wearing them!" Carol cooed, smiling down at her nephew who was napping peacefully in his mother's embrace. If it was about a week ago, the noises of the cars may have startled Harry awake, possibly triggering a panic attack. But now he remained content and happy in his sleepy position.

Filia giggled and stroked his hair gently, giving him a peck atop the head. "Yeah, he was so cuddly and smoochable in those pajamas..." She began to tear up.

"Oh dear... Filia, what's the matter? Why are you crying?" Parasoul asked with concern in her eyes, Filia blinked, having not even noticed that she was crying, then smiled softly.

"Oh... It's nothing... I just... really love my little baby boy... So, so much..." She said softly. "I'm so glad I found him under that bench..."

"Under... Under a bench?" Parasoul asked in surprise, Filia nodded and the princess frowned. She knew what Harry had been through, but for the poor dear to be so frightened that he believed hiding under a bench was his best option... Except ironically, this time it was his best option. Filia has found him and saved him... it was almost unbelievable that a chance encounter like that would lead to Filia becoming a mother, but with how happy she seemed, Parasoul agreed that it was for the best.

They finally arrived back at the apartment, and Filia and Carol stepped out. "Thank you for everything, Parasoul... And I really mean everything." Filia said softly.

Parasoul smiled softly. "You're very welcome, Filia. If all goes well, I'll come back later this week with Umbrella. You two have a wonderful night."

And with that, the limo took off, leaving the quartet of Filia, Samson, Harry and Carol standing outside the apartment. "Now... Let's show auntie Carol your jammies." Filia cooed to her sleeping son. Harry yawned and snuggled into his mama's chest. Filia giggled and made her way up to her now shared apartment. Carol sat on the couch while Filia took Harry into her room to get him changed. About a minute later she returned with the still sleeping boy in his footed pajamas, and Carol's eyes lit up like fireworks.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshlemmeholdhimlemmeholdhimlemmeholdhim!" She whisper screamed, barely able to control softly, Filia gently passed her sleeping son over to her squeeing friend, who took him with the biggest smile you would ever see. "Oh my gosh... He's so perfect in these pajamas..." Carol cooed, gently rocking the boy back and forth. "I...I love him so much..." Filia smiled and sat next to her.

"Yeah... I knew those were the perfect pajamas for him the second I saw them..." She said softly, leaning over to kiss her sleeping son's cheek. Harry yawned and seemed to turn over in his sleep, leaning into Carol's embrace. His aunt's face turned bright red as she lovingly kissed his head.

"You're so precious... I'll take good care of you, love..." She cooed, rocking him in her arms. Filia chuckled and pulled the large blanket over the two, Carol nodded her thanks and lay down on the couch, holding Harry close to her chest. Carol sighed happily enjoying holding the tiny boy close, it was a warm feeling she wanted more of...

Filia watched the two of them snuggle on the couch with a warm smile on her face. She leaned down to kiss Harry's forehead, then noticed Carol was asleep. "Samson?" She said softly.

"Got it." The parasite grabbed Carol and Harry carefully so as not to wake them, then carried them into Carol's new bedroom before setting them down on the bed. Filia gently tucked her best friend and son in for the night, then quietly left the room so she wouldn't disturb them, turning around to give them a warm, tender smile.

"I'd be careful, otherwise you might become 'Auntie Filia'." Samson teased, and Filia's eyes widened momentarily before she rolled them in annoyance.

"You can't let a good thing be, can you Samson?" Filia asked.

"Nope." The parasite replied with. Toothy smile. "But then again, I didn't ruin your meal-"

"You got hair on my steak!" Filia replied, annoyed.

"How is that 'ruining' it? If anything it's a flavour enhancer!"

"You are REALLY reaching now, aren't you?" Samson just snickered in response. Filia rolled her eyes and went into her own room, closing the door behind her, ready to turn in for the night.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, things were relatively quiet. Harry was saddened when Filia had to leave for school, but Carol had done everything she could to comfort him. After feeding him breakfast, Carol decided to read Harry some stories, and the pair had snuggled on the couch while reading him some fairy tales. Harry was happily resting in his aunt's lap while she read to him.

Yes, his auntie Carol was amazing. He'd never love anyone quite as much as he loved his mommy, but his auntie Carol came very, very close. Carol finished reading the book, then smiled down at the little boy. "Well, we've read a story now... How about we um... Play a game?" She offered.

"Okay." Harry smiled up at his aunt. Carol smiled back and picked him up. Carrying him to the kitchen table, she sat him down before pausing, remembering she didn't know her new home too well.

"Um, where does Filia keep her games?" Carol awkwardly asked, feeling a bit embarrassed about having to ask. Harry pointed to a cabinet about two steps to her left. "Of course..." Carol sighed. After a minute of deliberating, she chose Snakes and Ladders, and Harry seemed excited to play it. His energy was contagious, as Carol found her socially reclusive side melting away.

As they played, Harry told Carol the story of when he had stayed the night with his mother for the first time during the storm. "...And then the dice flipped back to snakes, and Uncle Samson was so mad!"

Carol put a hand to her mouth and giggled uncontrollably. "Oh, that Samson... He's a funny guy, isn't he?" She said with a merry twinkle in her demeanour.

"Yep! He got really grumpy and pouted a lot after that. He couldn't get any ladders at all." Harry explained.

"Well, let's see if we can do better." Carol smiled and handed Harry the dice. He rolled them, and immediately landed on a ladder. Carol smiled, watching his happy expression. However, she couldn't help but frown slightly when she rolled snake eyes. Oh well, it was still the first turn. About five turns later, Harry had reached the top and was only a few spaces away, and Carol was still struggling to get past the second row...

Carol rolled the dice again, and got ladders. She sighed in relief...only for it to immediately flip back over to snakes. "What...? You're kidding, right...?" Harry giggled softly. It was just like what happened with Uncle Samson, except Auntie Carol wasn't as mad as he was. The game ended with Harry as the winner by a landslide. Carol planted her face against the table and groaned loudly. "These dice are weighted..."

"I'm sorry Auntie Carol..." Harry mumbled shyly, nervous he had done something wrong. Carol looked up and laughed gently.

"You did nothing wrong, Harry... it's these stupid dice..." She replied before shaking her head. "I'm not gonna let some dice defeat me."

They played three more games. All had the same result. "I give up, that's it. The dice win." Carol said flatly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Mommy didn't have this problem when I played with her..." Harry said softly, looking at the dice curiously. They were both just wondering if the game was cursed.

"Hmm... How about we just watch some cartoons now?" Carol offered.

"Okay!" Harry said happily. Carol smiled at his energy as she scooped him up and sat on the couch with Harry in her lap. Flipping through the channels, she felt Harry relaxing into her embrace and blushed slightly.

They stumbled upon a movie called Hercules, about a boy who was born to gods and raised by farmers after an incident with the god leaders' jealous brother. However, the beginning of the movie hit very close to home for Harry... The part where all the people in his village called him mean names and wouldn't like him...They treated him like...like a freak...

Harry slowly began shrinking inwards, looking away and trying his best not to cry. Carol noticed after a few moments and gave a slight gasp. "Harry, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, hugging Harry close, pressing her cheek to the top of his head. "I...I didn't mean to upset you! It didn't occur to me that..."

"I...I just... Mr. Hercules... He's like me..." Carol looked at the boy, confused. "He... He gets bullied and hated... Because... he's not the same as everyone else..."

"Harry...?"

"He's... He's a freak... Just like me..."

"Harry..." Carol said sadly, pausing the movie and hugging him close to her chest. "You're not a freak, sweetie, you're an adorable little boy. What you went through was terrible..."

"But they're right! I'm a freak!" Harry replied, burying his face into Carol's chest. The young woman bit her lip, then sighed deeply, a flood of dark memories resurfacing.

"Harry, can I tell you something?" Carol slowly began.

Harry sniffled, then looked up at her slowly, his tearstained eyes making Carol's heart ache. She tightened her hold on her nephew and kissed his head gently. "I understand what it's like to be picked on and hated... Just like Hercules...and just like you..." She said softly. Harry's eyes widened in shock. "Huh...? Y-You do...?" He asked softly. Carol nodded. "But...But how...? You're so nice and pretty... Why would people hate you...?" Carol bit her lip, then began her long story.

Harry remained silent, left in mute shock as he listened to Carol's story. She explained how she had been turned into Painwheel, the terrible things she had done. They people she had hurt... and how when she finally returned back to normal, everyone had turned away in either fear or disgust at what she had been. Carol paused more than once, trying to collect herself and her thoughts, and Harry had done what he could do to comfort her.

Carol finished the story and took a deep breath before hugging him close. "But you know, Harry... I managed to pull through in the end... And you know why?"

"Wh-Why...?" Harry asked softly.

"Because I had people... Friends... People that cared about me and helped me realize I wasn't a freak... Parasoul and her sister... Another girl that unfortunately didn't make it... And...And especially Filia..."

Harry remained silent, thinking about what he had been told. Aunt Carol had been treated like him, and his mama and Aunt Parasoul and Aunt Carol herself had helped him get through it. Did that mean someday he could get through this? It was a new idea to him. What if... what if he didn't have to live with the memories and nightmares constantly following him? He'd like that..."Does that mean I can get through this?" Harry finally asked, looking up at Carol.

Carol blinked, surprised, then smiled and hugged the boy tightly against her bosom. "Of course you can, Harry... And you will." She said softly. And just like that, Harry felt as though a weight was lifted off his chest. The two sat snuggled on the couch, enjoying the rest of the movie. Harry saw that Hercules had found his place to belong. And that brought confidence that he could too.

"Uuuuuugh! I thought it would never freaking end!" Filia rolled her eyes at Samson's overdramatic groan and flipped through some pages in her book.

"It was pretty boring." She admitted. "And I am pretty excited to get back to my Harry-" She was interrupted when she heard a tiny meow.

"Samson. Was that you?" She asked.

"What?! Why the hell would I ever-" Samson began but stopped when he realized Filia was no longer paying attention to him. Instead, she was walking over to where a worn cardboard box was lying, and it seemed to be shaking. "Please tell me you're not gonna adopt another kid." Filia didn't answer, slowly getting down and lifting the lid, seeing a small white cat with black fur splotches look back up at her.

The kitten looked around, surprised and curious at the new light source, then looked up and saw Filia staring down at her. "...Mew." The kitten said. Filia let out a soft gasp, then gently lifted the tiny cat out of the box and held it close to her chest. The kitten squirmed only slightly before settling down and nuzzling up to her, purring softly. Filia's mouth formed into a large smile as she looked down at the kitten. "Samson... She's perfect... Oh my gosh, let's keep her!" Filia said excitedly.

"I mean... sure, whatever..." Samson grumbled. "You wouldn't listen to me regardless, so why bother?" Filia (as Samson had remarked) wasn't listening to him, but was smiling down at the small kitten, gently rubbing its head and scratching it behind the ears, earning a happy meow from it.

"Harry's gonna love her! Oh! I bet he can name her too!"

"Oh yeah, kid likes cats, doesn't he? Heh... Too bad we couldn't get a pet tiger, huh?" Filia blinked, then smiled softly at that idea. "...We are NOT getting a freaking tiger."

"I know, I know... But it would be really amazing, wouldn't it? Just imagine having one of those big, beautiful cats living in our house, snuggling us..."

"Scaring the neighbours, getting us in crap with the landlord, eating people..." Filia crossed her arms with a huff and stomped her foot.

"Why do you have to thrust your stupid logic into everything?"

"Well. In my defence, we haven't had any trouble with me in the flat." Samson replied.

"Aside from you eating all my food?" Filia asked.

"Are we STILL on about that?!" Samson groaned, exasperated.

"My grocery bills are through the roof, Samson." Filia said flatly. Samson rolled his eyes and snorted in response. "Seriously, we need to cut back on your eating habits."

"Oh yeah? Look who's talking, miss Thunder Thighs!" Samson retorted in annoyance. Filia gasped, then looked down self-consciously.

"Th-There's nothing wrong with my thighs!"

"Guess not, huh? Your many suitors don't seem to think so."

Filia angrily punched herself in the back of the head again, and Samson knew he had hit a nerve. He growled in pain but didn't say anything else. Thankfully, the kitten seemed to raise Filia's spirits immensely, as she picked up the box and began heading back to her home. She couldn't wait to show Harry their new friend! He was going to love her!

Harry was in the middle of taking a nap, cuddled up against Carol's chest. The chestnut haired woman smiled softly as she ran her fingers through his hair. She loved her nephew... She loved to hold him... To comfort him... To let him know that he was loved and cherished... It was such a special feeling that she couldn't describe.

She had hummed a gentle tune to lull him to sleep, and it worked like a charm. Within a few moments, Harry was fast asleep, sucking on his thumb as he breathed peacefully in his aunt's arms. Leaning down, Carol planted a kiss on his head, smiling as she heard him mumble something in his sleep happily.

"I love you so much cutie..." She cooed softly.

Then, the door was very loudly thrown open. "KNOCK KNOCK, BITCHES! WE'RE HOME!" The loud booming voice of Samson sounded out, jolting Harry from his sleep.

"Awww, Samson!" Carol groaned. "I just got him down for his nap!" Samson laughed in response, and Filia punched herself in the back of the head.

Harry perked up at Samson's voice and turned in the direction he heard it come from. Where there was Samson, there was also... "Mommy!" Harry climbed off of Carol's lap and ran to his mother.

"Hi sweetie! Did you and Auntie Carol have a good day?" Filia asked, hugging her son with one arm while holding the box with the other.

"Uh huh! She's really nice!" Harry said happily, hugging his mother. "She hugged me and we watched cartoons..." There was something so precious about his energy, Filia wished she could keep this forever... But then she remembered the box she was holding.

She blinked slightly, then let a huge, beaming smile come to her face. "Oh, that's right..." She set the box down on the floor. "Mommy brought a little surprise home.~"

"Really...? A surprise...?" Harry asked. Carol, now interested, stepped up and peeked into the box, gasping softly in delight, before grinning at Harry.

"Go on, honey... Look inside. See what it is. You're gonna love it." Filia said with a wink. Curious, Harry grabbed the side of the box and peeked inside...

"Mew?" A tiny voice said.

"Kitty?" Harry asked surprised. Taking the lid off, Harry's eyes widened in joy as the tiny kitten in the box looked up at him. It tilted it's head, then stood on it's hind legs, with it's front paws on the wall of the box, looking up at the boy.

Filia watched her son's eyes light up at the sight of the small cat and her heart melted. Standing by is side, she put her hands on her knees and bent down to his level. "Go ahead." She cooed gently. "Pick her up. She wants to say hi to you." Harry looked at her, smiling shyly, then carefully grabbed the small cat and hugged her close.

The kitten nuzzled in close to his chest and began purring intensely, rubbing her muzzle against him and making him giggle softly. "Th-Thank you, mommy..."

"Aww..." Carol cooed. "They're so adorable!" Gently picking her son and new friend up, Filia moved over to the couch and sat down, holding the pair on her lap, entirely engrossed in how happy Harry seemed with the kitten. He was scratching it behind it's ears and smiled as the kitten nuzzled close.

She adored her adopted son's smile, and she would do anything to protect it. Smiling, she rested her chin atop his shaggy dark hair, sitting in silence for a few minutes."...Harry?" Filia suddenly spoke, causing Harry to look up at her. "Why don't you go ahead and name her?" Harry perked up, then went deep in thought.

"Um...Hmm... Oh! Can I... Can I name her Tiger...?"

"Ha! Knew it!" Samson exclaimed.

"Sure." Filia smiled, kissing his forehead. Harry smiled down at the kitten, now named 'Tiger' that he was petting. Tiger looked about the new room and jumped off Harry's lap and walked over and looked up at Carol.

"Mew?"

Carol blinked at the kitten, then slowly extended a hand down towards her, allowing her to sniff at it. Tiger then hopped up onto Carol's lap and looked at her expectantly. Giggling softly, Carol rubbed the cat's tiny head, starting up her purring all over again. Tiger curled up in her lap and went to sleep, feeling content. Carol beamed down at the sleeping kitten. "Awww... She's soooo cute... Almost as cute as Harry..." She cooed. "Whoever says cats can't love is an idiot."

Harry smiled and kept gently petting Tiger. Filia smiled at how adorable the pair looked. This was a kind of love she wasn't sure she'd ever have. She had a family, Carol, Harry, Samson, Parasoul... and now Tiger. She had been through some dark times in recent memory, but she now believed things were finally turning around, and they could only get better from here.

A/N: So... I know I kinda teased the idea of Harry meeting Umbrella, but... I genuinely don't know what else to do with this story, so I've decided to cut my losses and end it here. I hope you enjoyed! See ya next time.


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